Bonnie and Clyde story was firing blanks but cast killed it

THE story of Bonnie and Clyde is the stuff of legend, with murders galore and their inevitable end in a hail of bullets.

But sadly the musical didn’t match up to the drama of the real dastardly duo.

The opening, as the scene was set, was dull to the extent of being soporific but it was a slow burner and gathered in momentum as it proceeded.

And while the story could have been better there was no criticism of the acting, singing and dancing which were genuinely incredible.

Special mention must go to Daniel Reid-Walters as Ted Hinton, the postie-come-sheriff who was in love with Bonnie but ultimately became part of the posse who gunned her down. He was captivating as the conflicted young man who ultimately had to do the right thing.

All the leads were convincing but former Corrie girl Catherine Tyldesley as Blanche, the wife of Clyde’s brother, was the biggest revelation.

Unlike most celebrity drop-ins Tyldesley was there on merit and one of the absolute highlights was her duet with Kate Tonkinson’s Bonnie.

Their rendition of You Love Who You Love was sensational as was Tomkinson's Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad.

Alex James-Hatton in the male titular role was mean, moody and showed a far truer depiction of Clyde than Warren Beattie portrayed in the sixties movie.

The show showed Clyde’s desperation to haul himself out of poverty as the basis for his original incarceration but his descendancy into murdering gangster was more to do with revenge at the sexual assaults he suffered in prison. And the show only hinted at that in passing.

Other big plot holes surrounded the sudden rise to fame and popularity of the duo who were besieged for autographs despite their notoriety.

In truth the duo were known to kidnap prominent members of society but release them miles from home with a wad of cash for their trouble which gave them popular appeal. But none of this was explained.

And if you expected to see bloody massacres you would be disappointed with only two or three tastefully shown killings.

However, the projection mapping was a triumph - with the prison murder in particular very powerful - and the Depression style lighting a perfect mood-setter.

And Nick Winston’s direction and choreography were intricate works of art.

His use of two scenes running simultaneously on stage was a joy.

But he dimmed his own star with a bit of a damp squib ending - not a single shot was fired as the lovers tried to make off in their car.

With officers firing about 130 rounds into the car you would have thought there would have been more of a powerful end.

But despite its faults Bonnie and Clyde still has a certain je ne sais quoi and is worth the ticket price for the commanding performances.

• Runs until Saturday in Glasgow and moves to Edinburgh in July.