[On Stage] Hong Geumbi Says She Understood Bonnie Through the Line "It Didn’t Feel Like I Was Being Punished Anymore"

Musical "Bonnie and Clyde" - Playing Bonnie

The worst thing an economic downturn can cause is a kind of guilt in people’s hearts that they are not able to make a living. This is why more people complain of depression during a recession. Sometimes that emotion turns into anger toward society and erupts in extreme forms of violence and crime. A prime example is the criminal couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who crisscrossed the American Southwest during the Great Depression, committing a series of robberies and murders.

The musical "Bonnie and Clyde" puts this criminal couple at the center of the story. Hong Geumbi, who plays Bonnie, struggled with how she should accept and portray such an immoral character. One line that resonated with her eased that burden: "Mom, but when I met that man (Clyde), it didn’t feel like I was being punished anymore. Life..." The line suggests that deep in her heart, Bonnie too was tormented by the guilt produced by the hard times. It leaves room to see Bonnie not just as a simple criminal, but also as another victim created by the era’s economic downturn.

Once freed from her restraints, Bonnie boldly reveals herself. She loves without hesitation and revels in her freedom. In the free-spirited nature of a character who has escaped oppression, the audience feels a sense of exhilaration.

Hong Geumbi, appearing as Bonnie in the musical 'Bonnie and Clyde' [Photo by Shownote]

Frank Wildhorn, the American musical composer famous for works such as "Jekyll & Hyde," "Dracula," and "Death Note," amplifies Bonnie’s charm with music that spans a variety of genres, including jazz, rock, blues, and country.

Hong Geumbi also cited the music as one of the attractions of "Bonnie and Clyde." She said, "The numbers with a sexy groove are particularly impressive."

The sexy music is alluring, but it was also a burden for her. "I don’t have much experience singing songs with a sexy groove, so I wondered, 'Can I really pull this off?'" After hesitating for quite some time, she decided to take on the challenge when she learned that music director Kim Moonjeong would be involved. Director Kim Moonjeong is the person who helped Hong Geumbi debut as a musical actor. Hong made her debut in 2016 with the musical "Dorian Gray." At that time, Director Kim Moonjeong was a judge on the audition panel, which recorded a competition ratio of 400 to 1, and she was the one who chose Hong. Meeting Director Kim again after 10 years, Hong said, "I wanted to show her that I still love singing and that I still love musicals."

"Bonnie and Clyde" is also well known as the 1967 film of the same name (released in Korea under the title "No Tomorrow For Us"). One reason these brutal criminals continue to be repeatedly invoked may be that the public feels a kind of pity for them. The period in which Bonnie and Clyde lived was not only a time when it was hard to make ends meet because of the economic slump, but also an oppressive era in which state power invoked moral values to control individual freedom through measures like Prohibition. Because of this, tens of thousands of people crowded Bonnie’s funeral to mourn her death.

Hong Geumbi said, "The 1930s were a time when life was extremely harsh and Americans’ hatred of their government was also very strong," adding, "So while I think Bonnie made a foolish choice, there are aspects of her that I can empathize with." Even taking various circumstances into account, there is something hard to understand about mourning criminals. Hong said, "I think people’s judgment may have become a bit clouded because those times were just too hard."

The show ends with a brutal punishment, as if to say it will not allow any sympathy for these ruthless criminals. Regarding the tragic finale, Hong Geumbi said, "I hope it feels futile to the audience, and that it leaves a lingering aftertaste."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.