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Bonnie and Clyde steal Logan stage

Two lovers on the road, robbing banks and running from the law; the infamous outlaw couple, Bonnie and Clyde, was brought to life by the Utah State University Department of Theatre Arts at the Caine Lyric Theater on Tuesday.

“World famous outlaws, set to music,” said Jared Rounds, a USU alumni, describing the show. “Small town kids on the run, trying to make their way through the country and just not quite getting the hang of it.”

Written by Ivan Menchell, Don Black, and Frank Wildhorn, the new musical first premiered in 2009 and follows the lives of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as they meet, fall in love and become the folk legends they are today.

“It’s probably on a more intimate level as far as following how they met, their back story, their love life, and not so much about what they’re known for, which is crime and murder,” said Justin Turpin, a junior in theater and a member of the ensemble. “So I think it was a really nice take on showing the humanity even behind criminals.”

Set during the Great Depression, the musical not only describes the adventures of Bonnie and Clyde, but also takes a look at the time period itself and the hardships people faced with scarcity of money, food and jobs.

What made the couple’s story so popular, Turpin said, was that anybody making their way in the world during that time was an incredible thing.

“Just anybody who was succeeding was doing it right, whether they were doing it the wrong way (or not),” he said.

Allyson Hankins — a junior playing the role of Clyde’s sister-in-law, Blanche Barrow — said one of the aspects that made Bonnie and Clyde folk heroes was the love the two held for each other, and the fact they never gave up on each other even if that meant death in the end.

“They were one of the first couple crime groups, so I mean they were together, they were a love story within an organized crime gang,” Turpin said.

To prepare for their roles, Turpin said they all researched the mannerisms, language and clothing styles of the 1930s.

Hankins said she created a Pinterest page and added things she found that connected to her to the time period to help her get into her character. She had also found a book written by Blanche Barrow to use in her preparation.

“She actually wrote a book about her times as Blanche Barrow and how they were in the gang,” Hankins said. “She wrote about how they were on the run and her time in jail.”

The work and preparation that went into putting on the production paid off; Rounds said it was a good show with strong performances.

“Bonnie and Clyde” runs April 14-18 at the Caine Lyric Theatre at 7:30 p.m. each night with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets prices range from $10-$18 and are free for students with USU ID cards.

“I think that it’s a wonderful play,” Turpin said. “There’s a lot to take away from it.”

— miranda.lorenc@gmail.com