[On Stage] Hong Geumbi on Playing Bonnie: ‘I Didn’t Feel Like I Was Being Punished’
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Hong Geumbi plays Bonnie in the Korean production of the musical Bonnie and Clyde, which explores how economic depression breeds guilt, anger and sometimes violent crime. She struggled with portraying an immoral character until a line—“When I met him (Clyde) I didn’t feel like I was being punished”—helped her see Bonnie as a conflicted product of her harsh times rather than a one-dimensional villain. The show highlights Bonnie’s liberation from social constraints through bold, sensual performances and genre-blending music by Frank Wildhorn (known for Jekyll & Hyde, Dracula, Death Note). Hong found the “sexy groove” numbers intimidating at first but accepted the challenge when director Kim Moon-jung (who discovered her in a 2016 audition) joined the team. The musical also recalls the 1967 film (released in Korea as Our Time Tomorrow) and suggests public sympathy for criminals can stem from broader social and economic oppression. The production ends with a brutal, cathartic finale meant to leave audiences unsettled and reflective.
