Bay Street Theater Presents 2025 Musical Production of 'Bonnie & Clyde'

Bay Street Theater will be “raising a little hell” to close out the summer season on July 29 through August 24 in the theatrical production of Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical.

Directed by Bay Street’s artistic director Scott Schwartz, the show documents the loving, unvarnished and dangerous sides of the infamous American outlaw couple Bonnie Parker (Lyda Jade Harlan) and Clyde Barrow (Charlie Webb) during the Great Depression, as well as political and social norms of that time period. The musical entails themes of action, romance, dark humor and charm through lively scores by award-nominated composers Frank Wildhorn and Don Black.

Their attraction to both adventure and each other has been relayed in several forms of storytelling over the years, including La Jolla Playhouse’s 2009 world premiere and the 2011 Broadway production. Producer Ivan Menchell has also written a book on the story.

“I think part of what the show is trying to do is figure out who [Bonnie and Clyde] really were and be unapologetic about who they really were, but also make them human at the same time and that is scary,” Schwartz shared. “Their real life love was very passionate and very romantic and the show doesn’t shy away from that.”

Schwartz mentioned how the idea for the production to come alive at Bay Street Theater dates back to a conversation with Frank Wildhorn in 2019, during a musical production in London, and how it’s been on his mind for the past six years. He admires the “intimacy” within the theater and how the energy and excitement amongst the darkness in this newer version answers how the American psyche drives us to be seen.

“We are trying to bring a really modern 2025 perspective to the show,” he described. “Yes, it’s set during the Great Depression and there’s no question about that, but the physical production and the way in which we’re doing it, I think feels hopefully very today.”

Both actors were able to paint a picture of what their characters are like, with Webb describing Clyde as someone in a “manic state” constantly, and Harlan describing Bonnie as a girl who defies cultural norms of her time through her actions, especially with passions of poetry, acting and singing. The two also shared how they were able to build chemistry on and off the stage and ensured comfort was key, so that the creative process could feel as easy and natural as possible.

“I think safety was our number one priority, just making sure everything felt safe, even if the dialogue and the conversations and the actual actions on stage seemed unsafe,” Webb said.

The actors also had conversations on how they related to the actors before their scenes, making it easier to “dive in,” prepare for the role both physically and emotionally, and then play their respective characters.

“I have a lot of similarities to [Bonnie] and that’s really nice to kind of just be like, oh let me just dig that out of me real quick to execute on stage,” Harlan said, as she expressed some of her favorite scenes. “And that does make How ‘Bout a Dance? one of my favorite moments of the show just because it feels so me.”

Schwartz noted some final remarks about what the cast has been doing throughout the journey that’ll make audiences, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, keep coming back for more.

“Everybody’s just put it all on the table and been willing to go for it because we want to tell this story in a really heartfelt way and a really honest way and a really open way and a psychologically complex way,” he said. “Just to be in a room with everyone, talking about the issues and the feelings that this story raises has been so, so, rewarding to me.”

Admission prices and times for Bonnie & Clyde the Musical varies by day. Learn more at baystreet.org