Bonnie & Clyde

Depression-era bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow lusted after fame and glory (and money), and they’re still getting both 80 years later. First the dynamic criminal duo was portrayed in film and song, then in a recent 2011 short-run Broadway musical that’s wound its way to Sacramento’s Runaway Stage Productions.

The secret to the success of any Bonnie and Clyde story is selecting a sizzling pair to portray the doomed gun-toting lovers, and Runaway Stage scores big with two talented leads for this production of Bonnie & Clyde.

Jennifer Zimney and David Holmes give winning performances of this captivating gruesome twosome, projecting the perfect pitch of chutzpah, pizazz and chemistry. The two also manage to inject some sympathy for these cop-killing criminals with the help of a storyline that looks back on their childhoods as well as the hardships of life during the Great Depression, where the duo became unlikely heroes to many.

The two leads are supported by a large cast and a talented live orchestra, and surrounded by picture-perfect era costumes and creative sets that include historic photos projected onto wooden pallets. The musical itself contains a number of good songs, but could do with trimming a few to tighten the production as well as keeping all the songs reminiscent of the era.