Bonnie & Clyde by Adam Peck
C103 (8529 Gateway Boulevard) August 14, 17 – 19, 21, 22
More information: blarneyyeg.com
Bonnie and Clyde at the Edmonton Fringe Festival. Photo credit: Mat Simpson.
An interview with Merran Carr-Wiggin & Evan Hall.
Describe your show in five words.
Bonnie & Clyde: the last hideout.
Okay, now that we’re intrigued… what’s the longer description?
Crossing the state border in a stolen Ford V-8 full of sawed-off shotguns and bootleg whisky, Bonnie and Clyde have found one last place to hide. Based on the true story, Bonnie & Clyde is an intimate retelling of the final hours of the world’s most infamous criminal couple.
What were you interested in learning about the pair Bonnie & Clyde when you got involved with this show? What was the most interesting thing you learnt about the duo?
It’s always so fascinating to play a real person in history. I love it because it feels like there is so much to draw on, but I know that that can also seem daunting. The most surprising thing I learned about them was just how famous they were. Now we know them mostly through Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, who played them so iconically, but the real Bonnie and Clyde truly were these unbelievable celebrities of their time. 20 000 people attended Bonnie Parker’s funeral. And when the coroner arrived at the car where they were shot, there were dozens of people tearing scraps of fabric from them as souvenirs. One person was even caught trying to cut off Clyde’s trigger finger!
Bonnie & Clyde are such an iconic popular culture couple – what about the couple do you think is so intriguing to people? How did you try to bring those qualities into this show/your character?
There’s something about gangsters or criminals in love that I think people are drawn to. They’re like Romeo and Juliet in a getaway car.They were known as bank robbers, but more often they would rob gas stations or convenience stores, sometimes only walking away with five or ten dollars. There are accounts of them kidnapping someone, driving across the state border then dropping them off with new clothes and some money so they could get home. There are a lot of things that are unknown about the couple and I think that is one of the major things that intrigues people.
Bonnie was described as a very bright girl by people who knew her before her life of crime and I think that this play captures this very well. She had dreams of being in the theatre. She says she was swept off her feet by Clyde Barrow. It’s that sense of adventure I want to bring to Bonnie; a young girl with big dreams that jumps right in.
What about Bonnie and Clyde do you think the playwright, you and the production crew want to convey about the duo and why are their final moments the way to do that?
I think what is unique about our production is that it gets down to the heart of who these people were. It talks about them as people who have parents, who had dreams of a normal life, who fell head over heels in love with each other. It’s easy with all the hype that surrounds these two because of their criminal acts to look at them as though they weren’t real. But this play addresses their humanity. We get to see them in their last moments together and I think you truly start to feel for them… even though they robbed banks and killed people.
Anything else you want audiences to know about the show?
It’s making it’s Canadian Debut!
Bonus question: Any names you want to drop who have been involved in your show (Edmonton arts people or otherwise)?
Joan Wyatt is our Stage Manager, Wayne Paquette is directing, Mat Simpson did all the photos and Tynan Boyd did the poster.
The 34th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is August 13 – 23. Get your tickets at tickets.fringetheatre.ca.