PREVIEW: Warm up in this frigid mid-winter with local theatre

Bonnie & Clyde, Alice in Wonderland JR., and Hansel & Gretel: A Pantomime are colourful, action-packed stories on Hamilton stages this weekend. 

In and around Hamilton this weekend, there are several productions being staged that feature larger casts, colourful and recognizable characters, and action-packed, memorable stories. While Playful Fox Productions’ Bonnie & Clyde and Theatre Ancaster’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. are onstage this weekend only, Binbrook Little Theatre’s pantomime version of Hansel & Gretel will continue on until the middle of next month.

Bonnie & Clyde is a musical that debuted in San Diego in 2009 and moved on to Sarasota, Florida before opening on Broadway in 2011 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The show was eventually nominated for multiple Drama Desk Awards, including Best New Musical, as well as two additional nominations at the 2012 Tony Awards. Its score contains a range of musical styles, including country and western, blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, gospel and Broadway pop.

With music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black and a book by Ivan Menchell, the two-act musical tells the story of America's most infamous couple, Bonnie (Parker) and Clyde (Barrow). Bonnie & Clyde were star-crossed lovers and outlaws, Texas bank robbers, car thieves and accused murderers whose notoriety took on folk hero status during the Great Depression. They met in 1930 and died in a hail of gunfire four years later, inspiring riveting headlines and newspaper articles about their bold and reckless behaviour. 

Rob Curwain, an actor, technical producer and artistic director with Playful Fox Productions, says “audiences can expect not only a high-octane journey through the life and times of history’s ride-or-die couple, but some real heart as well.

“Our shows live in that space where spectacle meets sincerity – big music, bold stories, but always grounded in character and connection,” Curwain says. “We want audiences to be entertained, yes, but also to feel something when they leave.”

Curwain, who plays a preacher in the show, says two flawed but flesh-and-blood human beings make Bonnie and Clyde’s story compelling beyond their lurid crimes: “As violent and chaotic as their time on earth was … these are people shaped by the desperation of the 1930s, by poverty, by dust and dead ends, dreaming of something bigger than the hand they were dealt. Bonnie and Clyde isn’t just a story about outlaws,” he explains. “It’s about longing, love, ambition, and the dangerous pull of believing there must be more out there.”

The lasting impact of Bonnie and Clyde on the popular imagination cannot be denied. Far from being simply a historical true-crime tale appealing to American audiences, the musical has been staged successfully across the globe including Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Poland and Brazil.

Bonnie & Clyde tells a thrilling story about the love, crime, adventure and defiance that captured the attention of a beleaguered public. As Curwain describes, “it’s about two young people who wanted to be seen, to matter, to escape, and the cost of chasing that dream too far.”

Curwain’s passion for theatre and for the company of which he is a part is clear as he explains what keeps Playful Fox and its members going: “For us, theatre is a place where both artists and audiences get to step outside the weight of everyday life for a while. For the team, the long hours and big ambitions are worth it because we’re building entire worlds together. We get to collaborate, problem-solve, and create moments that only exist live, in that room, with that audience. That shared experience is what fuels us to keep going,” he says.

“We live in a world that can feel heavy, loud, and uncertain - and creating these productions gives us somewhere meaningful to pour all of that energy, stress, and emotion. It’s cathartic. It’s connection. It’s a reminder of why stories matter.”

Playful Fox will be back in Hamilton in March with the classic Roald Dahl favourite, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Broadway Musical. The company previously staged the show in Brantford in December 2024, and based on the enthusiastic response they received, they decided to revisit the show. 

NEED TO KNOW

Bonnie & Clyde
Playful Fox Productions
Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
Jan.31 & Feb. 1, 2 p.m.
The Zoetic
526 Concession St., Hamilton
Find more information here
Audience advisory: Suitable for adults & teens. Realistic staged violence, including extensive gunfire. Strong language and implied sexual situations.

Also on stage this weekend:

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.
Theatre Ancaster
Jan. 30 & 31, 7 p.m.
Jan. 31 & Feb. 1, 2 p.m.
Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre
Peller Hall
357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster
More information here
Run time: approx. 1 hour

Theatre Ancaster’s production of Alice in Wonderland Jr. promises a “vibrant” new retelling of a Disney classic to delight both new and returning viewers.

This musical is an adaptation of the beloved 1951 animated film Alice in Wonderland, and both based on the classic stories of Lewis Carroll. With music written by Sammy Fain and Bob Hillard, some of the songs have been reworked in recent years, and some have been added or removed to suit more modern audiences. In this version, three actors play Alice under the names Small Alice, Alice, and Tall Alice.

Musical Theatre International summarizes the production: “When young Alice finds herself in a strange world where everything seems upside down, she must find her way home … and find herself along the way. As she travels through Wonderland, she encounters all of the iconic characters that audiences have come to love: including the ever-tardy White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, the wacky Mad Hatter, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts.”

This Youth Series show features performers from Theatre Ancaster’s Stage 2: Junior Broadway Program, showcasing the talents of students in grades 5-8 alongside the theatre’s professional costuming, set design, props, and lighting staff. Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. is directed by Sara-Ann Pacheco (Birken), who has a list of Theatre Ancaster and other productions to her credit.

Hansel and Gretel: A Pantomime
Binbrook Little Theatre
Jan. 30 to Feb. 15
Memorial Hall
2600 Regional Rd. 56, Binbrook
More information here
Run Time: 1 hour, 50 mins + intermission

Written by Nick Lawrence, his website promotes Hansel & Gretel as “the sweetest Panto there is!” Merriam-Webster defines panto, or pantomime, as “dramatic or dancing performances in which a story is told by expressive bodily or facial movements of the performers,” often a “British theatrical entertainment of the Christmas season based on a nursery tale and featuring topical songs, tableaux, and dances.” Audiences can expect an energetic, funny, and colourful romp. This community theatre production is directed by Brad Fortman.

Binbrook Little Theatre describes Hansel & Gretel as a “twisted fairy-tale” with “a gingerbread house, a wicked witch and more cakes than Bake-Off!” Surrounded by a sea of cakes, biscuits, profiteroles and other goodies, a celebration turns into a disaster when Hansel and Gretel are kidnapped. Along with memorable characters such as Griselda, Stinkworth, Miss Merry and Mr. Wollyhood, watch as Dame Kitty Kipling mobilizes a rescue party to find the witch’s infamous gingerbread house and save the two unfortunate children.

Hansel & Gretel promises to satisfy the audience’s cravings for sweetness and fun.