Latest news with #BonnieandClyde
South Wales Argus
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Bonnie and Clyde brought to life by Newport theatre group
The musical, based on the lives of the infamous couple, tells the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and their life of crime across southern Texas amid the Great Depression. The pair earn the fame and notoriety they so desperately crave through their deadly antics. The musical features a score written by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Don Black combining blues, gospel and rockabilly music with songs including 'Raise a Lttle Hell ', 'You Love Who You Love' and 'The World Will Remember Us. Founded by local musical stalwart Victoria Bryant and choreographer Emily John, Glass Ceiling Theatre has developed a well-earned reputation as one of Wales' leading musical theatre groups attracting talent from across South Wales from Neath to Abergavenny with some members even travelling from as far as Somerset for the weekly rehearsals. Andre-Paul Spring joins the production team for Bonnie and Clyde as co-director bringing his skills and experience gathered working with other theatre groups, including his own. Glass Ceiling Theatre, which was set up eight years ago, recently celebrated a sell-out run of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast at Newport's Dolman Theatre. It has also staged shows including Footloose and Legally Blonde. Victoria Bryant, Glass Ceiling Theatre musical director, said: "Bonnie and Clyde is a demanding show in terms of the emotional performance needed throughout the musical, and our cast give their all to ensure this comes across." Nicole Cleaton and Jamie Davis take on the lead roles. Clyde's brother, Buck Barrow, is played by Evan Davies and his hard-suffering wife, Blanche, is played by Jessica Doolan. Bonnie and Clyde is on at Newport's Dolman Theatre from Thursday June 19 to Saturday June 21, 2025. Tickets are available at
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ma Barker: Infamous Missouri-born crime matriarch
(KODE & KSN) — Ash Grove, Missouri was the birthplace of the person J. Edgar Hoover once called 'one of the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal minds of the last century'. If you're not familiar with the name Ma Barker, upon hearing it, you may be met with mental images of an 'old-time', matronly woman in an apron, standing by a linoleum countertop, plate of buttermilk biscuits in hand, with a mild, yet warm smile on her face. Decades of pop culture conditioning from art and commercialism often paint this stereotype of southern women of a certain timeframe, and while some say there was some truth to it in the case of Ma Barker, many have said Ma Barker was anything but the case. Some say the true image of crime matriarch Ma Barker is one that mirrors Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie and Clyde): Tommy guns, car chases, robberies, kidnappings, and a penchant for defying authority to the end, and instilled this nature on her many sons – men born and raised to live the lifestyle she relished – and one that helped Barker carryout her antics. So, which picture most accurately represents the truth of Ma Barker's life? Historians say the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. Records indicate 'Ma' Barker was born in 1873 to John and Emaline Clark in Ash Grove, Missouri. According to Britannica, her name at birth was Arizona Donnie Clark, but she'd later be known as Kate Barker, after marrying George Barker when she was 19, giving birth to four sons in the marriage: future criminals Herman (1893-1927), Lloyd (1897-1949), Arthur (1899-1939), and Fred (1901-1935). The oldest of which was just 52 years of age. Historians say the Barker family was against conventional education and that most of them were 'more or less illiterate', but the family had common sense and was resourceful: some of Barker's sons were committing their crimes before even having reached adolescence. The first known arrest came in 1910, when Herman Barker was arrested and charged after running over a child with a getaway car during a highway robbery. Over the course of the 1910s and 1920s, the brothers would commit increasingly worse crimes from simple robberies to organized crime with the Central Park Gang. The first family tragedy came in 1927 when eldest son Herman Barker took his own life to avoid being caught by authorities. They say he was being pursued after shooting a policeman in the mouth during a robbery. During this time, the Barker marriage would fall apart as Ma Barker is described to have become 'loose with local men' and her wild antics in public were said to have alienated her tamer husband. More trouble came for the family in 1931, when they were forced to flee Missouri after the sons killed Sheriff C. Roy Kelly in West Plains, Missouri. The family relocated to areas in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with Ma Barker sometimes being hidden in hotel rooms away from her sons due to her penchant for attempting to scare off their girlfriends. In 1935, authorities successfully arrested Arthur Barker in Chicago, and from his possessions, were able to obtain the knowledge that Ma Barker and her youngest son Fred, along with other gangmembers were hiding out in Florida. According to the Florida Sheriff's Association, when authorities surrounded the house, reports indicate they were not aware the two Barkers were the only occupants. A gunfight broke out, lasting several hours, so long that historians say locals brought picnic lunches to watch the events transpire. The gunfight ended when Fred Barker was shot multiple times and Ma Barker was taken down with a single gunshot. Her body was allegedly found gripping a Tommy gun, her final moment a symbol of her legacy of crime in the 'public enemy era', though other reports say it was simply lying near her body. The question is, how much was Ma Barker actually involved in gang activity and her children's crimes? The answer you get will vary depending on the source. As previously mentioned, officials like famed FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover once called Ma Barker a 'criminal mastermind', while some historians, as well as the testimonies of the sons that survived her and fellow gang members, indicate Ma Barker was less involved in the crimes and more of a supporting figure. It is known that Ma Barker never killed anyone herself and was often not present for the actual crimes that her sons committed. While Hollywood adaptations of the Barker family story like 'Ma Barker's Killer Brood' (1960) and 'Bloody Mama' (1970) depict Barker as a brutal, bloodthirsty criminal, smugly blasting a tommy gun with a defiant glare, it is more likely, according to historians, that these adaptations were mostly, if not entirely fictional, and some may go as far to say that Barker was painted as a figurehead by the FBI at the time to publicly justify her killing, but this is disputed. The whole truth of the Ma Barker story will probably never be truly known, but it is always true that Kate 'Ma' Barker is one infamous Missourian that will always be remembered as a woman who paid no mind to conforming to authority, and lived a wild, adventure filled life of crime in an era when such lifestyle was mainly associated with men. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Bunty Aur Babli turns 20: Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji's crime caper is a sharp, spirited portrait of middle-class ambition in post-liberalisation India
It was the early 2000s. Aditya Chopra had seen failure, and not just once; the industry had started to lose faith as well as some within his own family. He was no longer the golden boy, and that silence around him was growing heavier. Hence, he made a decision. Not to retreat, but to move and to try something unexpected. He wanted to make a crime caper, with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead. He handed the reins to a young director, known only for a remake, and gave him a story that set out to change the syntax of commercial storytelling. For Yash Raj Films, this was unfamiliar territory. It had none of the soft-focus charm of their romantic sagas. There was no moral compass pointing north. Not even NRI nostalgia to cushion the fall. At its heart, it was about thieves, beneath the ever-watchful eye of capitalism's glimmering tower, stealing not for malice, but for meaning. Many might think this is about Dhoom, with its bikes, its pace, its swagger. That's another story for another day. This is about something else. Something gentler, but sharper. This is about Bunty Aur Babli. On paper, the film read like a loose riff on Bonnie and Clyde, but the comparison falls apart on contact. The conflict, the characters, even the tonal register, everything diverges. There's a deliberate lightness here, a sense of joy that's not accidental. What distinguishes it, though, is its grounding in a newly liberalized Indian economy. What resonates most is the social and generational context from which Bunty and Babli emerge. They're children of a transitional India, where aspiration outpaces infrastructure, where dreams travel faster than opportunity. Their world is shaped by cable television, their life is defined by endless stories of success featuring people like them, but never quite about them. They come from the moral certainties of the middle class, yet no longer find themselves entirely at home in them. So unlike Bonnie and Clyde, their rebellion isn't just romantic or criminal — it's existential. They're not simply running from the law; they're running towards meaning, place, and identity. Bunty (Abhishek Bachchan) comes from Fursatganj. Babli (Rani Mukerji) runs away from Pankinagar. Towns like these don't figure in the imagination of India A. They are not destinations, just glimpses from a moving train, places you pass through on your way elsewhere. The kind of small towns, which Gulzar described as 'chhote chhote shehron se', towns that appear as two-minute railway halts, or as dhaba stops on long, anonymous highways. It's no accident, then, that the film is filled with trains and roads. They're more than just setting, they're the spirit. Movement becomes metaphor. The story sways towards the form of a road movie, but what it really tracks is the velocity of desire, the shape of a search. Bunty and Babli's journey begins with the pulse of 'Dhadak Dhadak', introduced separately (notice Babli, dancing in an akhada, subverting every expectation of the YRF heroine). By the interval, they're together, dancing to 'Nach Baliye', on a set that feels like Broadway filtered through Mumbai, brought alive by Sharmishta Roy. It's more than a spectacle, it's a declaration. They've arrived. Not by permission, but by defiance. Because for towns like Fursatganj and Pankinagar, the law does not build ladders. It builds maps that forget them. Also Read | Bunty Aur Babli 2 review: Saif Ali Khan-Rani Mukerji kindle the old spark At the interval point, another shift takes place, not just in the story, but in the film's very form. This is when Amitabh Bachchan enters as Commissioner Dashrath Singh, tasked with hunting down Bunty and Babli. And with his arrival, something changes. Until now, the film had moved along the undercurrent of contrast, between different Indias, between aspiration and limitation, but that tension remained largely subtextual. With Bachchan's entry, the polarity becomes tonal. The first half of Bunty aur Babli is grounded. It belongs to the soil. Its language, texture, and rhythm echo the realism of Amol Palekar or Basu Chatterjee movies. But post-interval, the film shapeshifts. It leaps into the zone of a Manmohan Desai caper: louder, faster, glossier. The satire gets broader, the stakes more stylized. What was once rooted starts to float. The chase becomes theatrical, the con jobs more elaborate, the narrative more self-aware. And by the end, the homages are unmistakable. This is Catch Me If You Can, filtered through a Bollywood lens, stitched with spectacle and swagger. The film wears its love for the '70s on its sleeve. Look closely, and a Hath Ki Safai poster slips into the mise-en-scène like a memory. Listen carefully, and you'll hear 'Dil Cheez Kya Hai' floating in the background, as Bachchan's voice reflects on lost love. Ranjeet plays Ranjeet. Prem Chopra appears, but not as himself. And Sholay? It haunts the form. Bunty and Babli don the jackets of Jai and Veeru, not as parody but as inheritance. And in the end, there's a moving train, a face-off between an honest cop (read: Thakur) and two outlaws. But the most pointed homage is the casting of Bachchan himself. Once the face of rebellion, the original angry young man, he now stands on the other side. No longer the drifter, no longer the spark, he is the law, the system, the state. He chases what he once embodied. The film, without ever raising its voice, offers a mirror. A deconstruction. Bachchan as Dashrath Singh isn't just a cop chasing thieves, he's really time chasing itself. He's a myth returning to watch its own unravelling. You can almost sense that director Shaad Ali is working from a place of deep fascination. His enthusiasm doesn't just sit on the surface, it feels visceral, alive in every frame. But at no point does this passion overwhelm the story. Instead, it powers it from within. His gaze is packed with ideas, and what's remarkable is how effortlessly he brings each one to life. There's also a clear and genuine love for the song-and-dance tradition of Bombay cinema. Shaad doesn't treat music as decoration, he uses it to its fullest potential. Each song becomes a narrative moment, revealing themes, emotions, even entire storylines. But the real giant here — the cultural juggernaut, is Kajra Re. It's the song that defined a decade. Shaad Ali never directed a bigger musical moment. Alisha Chinai never sang a more iconic hit. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy never produced a more crowd-moving track. And Aishwarya Rai never danced with such massy charm and controlled fire. Even Gulzar, always philosophical, hit a rare balance here between the everyday and the eternal. Just look at the lines: 'Surmein se likhe tere waade, aankhon ki zubaani aate hain': a love promise written not in ink but in gaze. Or 'Aankhein bhi kamaal karti hain, personal se sawaal karti hain': as if eyes alone could interrogate intimacy. These are the kinds of lines you might find scribbled on the back of a truck, but in Gulzar's hands, they take on something almost existential. Speaking of memorable lines, you simply can't talk about Bunty Aur Babli without bringing up Jaideep Sahni's writing. As always, he returns to the themes he knows best: middle-class morality, amidst the changing fabric of post-liberalised India. And yet, even within this familiar terrain, he manages to craft a story that feels both fresh and utterly relatable. You could easily go on at length about Sahni's sharp writing. But often, just one scene, or even a single moment, a single line, is enough to reveal the depth of his craft. Take the wildly audacious moment when Bunty and Babli con a foreigner by 'selling' the Taj Mahal. Just moments earlier, a corrupt minister is confronted by a furious crowd chanting, 'Tanashahi nahi chalegi!' She snaps back, 'Arey kiski?' And the crowd replies — 'Kisi ki bhi.' That's it. That's Sahni for you. His writing doesn't shout, it slices. With one line, he can expose an entire system. With one exchange, he can turn satire into truth.
The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Brit ‘smuggler' Bella Culley, 18, didn't even know where Georgia was when she was arrested as ‘she's basically a child'
VULNERABLE drug charge teen Bella Culley is "not far from childhood", her new lawyer said today on Wednesday after visiting her in a grim Georgian jail. Bella's family-appointed lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia, said the 18-year-old Brit did not even know where she was and had to have her location explained to her. 7 Bella pictured in court in Tbilisi after she was detained at the city's airport Credit: East2West 7 Cannabis was found wrapped in airtight bags in Bella's luggage, police said Credit: East2West 7 Bella revealed in court that she was 'in love' with a mystery man and that she is pregnant Credit: Facebook Mr Salakaia said Bella was in "good health" but he would not describe her as an adult, adding that she was "not far from childhood." Bella was arrested on May 11 in capital Tbilisi's airport with a suitcase packed with 31lb of cannabis and hashish after flying from Thailand via Sharjah in the UAE. She faces 15 years to life in jail in the eastern European former Soviet state. She is being held in watchtower-ringed Penitentiary No 5 near Tbilisi while prosecutors probe how she came to have the £200,000 stash and who she planned to hand it to. Read more world news The teenager had been away in the Far East for weeks and boasted of a 'Bonnie and Clyde' lifestyle and posted pictures with wads of cash and smoking spliffs. Her family have now dropped local legal aid lawyer Ia Todua in favour of Mr Salakaia who does not speak English and is understood to have been recommended by British Embassy staff. He specialises in juvenile law and is expected to argue that vulnerable Bella - who announced she is pregnant in court - is a victim who was manipulated by ruthless traffickers. Their first meeting lasted two hours at the jail near the town of Rustavi. Most read in The Sun Mr Salakaia said his client was in good health, did not have any complaints about the place of detention and was ready to defend herself in court. When asked whether he would describe Bella as an adequate adult, his answer was "no". 7 Bella was allegedly caught with drugs worth £200,000 Credit: Unpixs 7 Bella Culley's dad stands by daughter amid fears drug gangs are targeting Brit backpackers During their meeting, the teenager is also understood to have cooperated for the first time with Georgian cops probing her case. Bella's He is believed to have ferried a food and clothing package to Bella at the grim No5 Women's Penitentiary where she will be held until her next court appearance on July 1. He spent around 45 minutes with Bella before emerging puffing nervously on a cigarette as he waited for a taxi. He declined to comment. How might the cases of Bella Culley and Charlotte May be connected? Within a single day of Bella Culley's arrest, While the two arrests took place over 3,000 miles apart, people immediately noted It is believed to be likely that Georgian and Sri Lankan authorities will launch a joint investigation Both women are said to have departed from the same airport - Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport - allegedly with the drugs on them In both cases, the drugs were stashed in airtight packages that suggest a level of professionalism Both women had told their loved ones that they planned on meeting a mystery man during their travels in Thailand: Bella's grandad said she mentioned a man called "Ross or Russ", while Charlotte's friends said she made vague comments about meeting a man 7 Part-time beautician Charlotte was arrested on May 12 after stepping off a flight to Sri Lanka from Thailand Credit: Tim Stewart 7 Sri Lankan cops released a photo of the seized bags Charlotte was allegedly caught with
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Teen ‘smuggler' Bella Culley's dad vows to stand by his daughter – amid fears drug gangs are targeting Brit backpackers
THE distraught father of drugs charge teenager Bella Culley has vowed to stand by his daughter - amid new fears Far East drugs gangs are targeting British backpackers. Bella, 18, is on remand in a grim jail following her arrest in Georgia's Tbilisi airport with a suitcase of cannabis after going missing 4,000 miles away in Thailand. 6 Bella's dad Niel, who flew to Tbilisi last week, told The Sun he 'will be here for as long as it takes' Credit: Paul Edwards 6 Bella revealed in court that she was 'in love' with a mystery man and that she is pregnant Credit: Facebook 6 Niel and Bella's aunt Kerry Culley pictured after their meeting with Bella's lawyer La Todua Credit: Paul Edwards Bella's flight took off from the same Bangkok airport within hours of another pretty British trafficking suspect arrested with £1.2 million of a cannabis-related drug in Sri Lanka. Former air stewardess Their arrests have sparked fears that Thai gangs may be hoodwinking vulnerable British backpackers into ferrying their drugs after a crackdown on postal trafficking. Bella was facing at least nine months on remand in a grim Soviet-era jail alongside hardened criminals. Read more on world news She had joked online of 'Bonnie and Clyde' hijinks while showing off cash wads in the Far East and was pictured smoking a spliff.. Bella's family from Billingham, County Durham are convinced she was preyed upon after flying to the Far East to party with a mystery man feared to have hooked her up with drugs runners. Her dad Niel - a Vietnam-based oil rig electrician - flew to Tbilisi last week desperate for answers after tearful Bella told a court that she was pregnant. But he has yet to meet his daughter within the drab confines of No5 Women's Penitentiary on the outskirts of the Georgian capital and remains baffled by her plight. Most read in The Sun Asked about his plans after arriving in Tbilisi, Mr Culley, 49, told The Sun today: 'I can't say anything but I will be here for as long as it takes. 'I obviously have no experience in dealing with situations like this and it's very difficult.' Pregnant 'smuggler' Bella Culley faces raising her child in grim ex-Soviet prison 6 Bella from Billingham, County Durham, was seen in court in Tbilisi after being detained on suspicion of carrying 14kg of cannabis Credit: East2West Appearing shaky as he puffed on a cigarette, the anxious dad at one point appeared ready to make a statement when asked how his daughter was bearing up in prison. But he broke off to confer with Bella's aunt Kerrie Culley - who is supporting him in He added: 'I'm being advised by the British Embassy and can't comment at the moment. 'But that may change in the Fears are growing that a Thai drugs gang is preying on British backpackers this summer as Charlotte became the second Brit flying out of Bangkok to be arrested within days. She was detained at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka on Monday - the day after Bella's arrest - where police say she had a huge stash of kush - a synthetic strain of cannabis. Charlotte from Chipstead, Surrey was last night locked in a cell with 20 other prisoners with barely room to lie down as she awaited a court hearing. Bella took off first from Bangkok on a 20-hour flight via Sharjah in the UAE to Georgia while Charlotte left later on a three-hour direct flight to Sri Lanka. Both girls departed from the Thai capital during the Royal Ploughing Ceremony weekend - one of the busiest festivals of the year when airports are crammed with tourists. It is believed to have provided a prime opportunity for traffickers to operate mules - particularly attractive young Britons who arouse less suspicion. The two arrests follow a huge crackdown on smugglers sending cannabis to the UK by post. A joint operation by both countries has seen a 90 per cent in reduction in the drug being mailed to Britain since last year. It suggests Thai gangs may now be reverting to using drug mules to ship their products instead - and targeting British backpackers. Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022 which sparked a massive rise in the narcotic being posted to Britain. The law change allowed traffickers to hoodwink trippers into believing transporting it was legal. Thai checks of mail being shipped stopped 1.5 tonnes in the first quarter of this year - a 90 percent drop in the illicit cargo - in a drive which frustrated the gangs. Some 800 people including 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted smuggling since July 2024 with over nine tonnes of cannabis seized. Retired Georgian police chief General Jemal Janashia voiced concerns that backpackers were being targeted yesterday. He said: "The fact that two young British women have taken off with large quantities of drugs from the same airport will interest investigators. "They will be concerned about the possibility of a link and that Thai gangs may be attempting to recruit vulnerable British travellers. 'After the crackdown on postal drug deliveries, the Thai cartel are seeking new routes and Georgia does look like an attractive middle transit point. 'It's relatively close, and easy to reach Europe and is visa free to European travellers.' He added: 'I feel sorry for this woman because she was clearly used and manipulated. She's 18, she's a foreigner, pregnant. 'All of this indicates that she was chosen deliberately, chosen carefully, she was studied. 'Whoever chose her, they knew what they were doing.' 6 A female prison near Tbilsi, Georgia where suspected Brit drug mule Bella Culley is being held Credit: . 6 The exterior of Tbilisi Prison No.5, which is Georgia's only female prison Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
