One might think that true-life, murderous outlaws wouldn’t exactly be a likely choice for musical treatment, but then again composer Frank Wildhorn has already put songs in the mouths of such characters as Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So it comes as little surprise to encounter his latest effort, Bonnie & Clyde, especially when you consider that the title characters have the advantage of having died while still being young and sexy.

And, boy, is that sexiness accentuated in this musical starring two of Broadway’s hottest new commodities--Laura Osnes (Grease, South Pacific) and Jeremy Jordan (the recent pre-Broadway tryout of Newsies). Each is given plenty of opportunity to show skin: Osnes, displaying the sort of toned, Pilate’s body that wasn’t exactly commonplace in 1930’s Texas; and Jordan, spending much of the proceedings shirtless and glistening with fake sweat.

It’s not surprising that the show would aim for the same sort of appeal to younger audiences that made Arthur Penn’s now iconic 1967 film starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, both at the peak of their beauty, such a hit.

Critics have long used Wildhorn as a punching bag due to his propensity for the sort of vacuous pop ballads that performers love to sing on American Idol. So it’s a pleasure to report that the best aspect of this show is its score, which uses a melodic blending of folk, country, blues and gospel influences to stirring effect. Sure, some of the composer’s usual bombast occasionally rears its head, but such terrific numbers as “”The World Will Remember Us” and “Raise a Little Hell” are ample compensation.

Too bad, then, that the book and lyrics are such letdowns. The former, by Ivan Menchell (The Cemetery Club), provides little in the way of character development or emotional resonance. It settles for such easy devices as having childhood versions of the characters appear in the opening song, “Picture Show,” proclaiming that they want to grow up to be like Clara Bow and Billy the Kid respectively. The banal lyrics by Don Black aren’t any more impressive, although admittedly it wouldn’t do to have the uneducated characters displaying Sondheim-style wit.

Jordan easily displays the charisma that has him marked for stardom, making Clyde far more appealing than he has a right to be. And Osnes once again impresses, if less so for her acting—her Bonnie is fairly one-note—than for her dynamic presence and powerful singing voice, which she shows off to impressive effect in her second act power ballad, “Dyin’ Ain’t So Hard.” Claybourne Elder has little to work with as Clyde’s brother and fellow criminal Buck, but Melissa Van Der Schyff has some terrific moments as Blanche, the sister-in-law who reluctantly gets drawn into the family business.

Jeff Calhoun’s staging and minimal choreography is little more than functional, as is Tobin Ost’s wood-planked unit set. But the latter does provide for the production’s strongest element, namely the extensive projections (designed by Aaron Rhyne) that often showcase vintage photographs of the real-figures involved, culminating in gruesome images of their bloody corpses. They serve as a vivid reminder that this romanticized musical deals not with headstrong youngsters but rather brutal killers who met a fateful end.

Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St. 212-239-6200. www.Telecharge.com