Despite being more than forty years old, Blood Brothers – a product of Willie Russell’s fertile imagination and holder of a record-breaking run in the West End – still retains its relevance and entertainment value in the Twenty-First Century.
That was proved when it had its opening night at the Buxton Opera House as part of its latest UK tour. A superb performance from all involved in the production drew a succession of curtain calls as the cast were given a well-deserved standing ovation.
It is hard to believe that Russell’s work – he wrote the play and composed the score – is so good that it overcame its early doubts being firstly played in high schools before becoming a flop in the West End. All thanks to the late Bill Kenwright for realising the play’s potential and creating a piece of theatre that is generally ranked as one of the top three must-see musicals.
Mrs Johnstone (Vivienne Carlyle) is a working-class diamond of a mother who loves her children but struggles to make ends meet. So, when she realises that she is about to become the mother of twins a financial quandary appears on the horizon.
A potential solution is offered. Her rich employer Mrs Lyons (Paula Tappenden) is unable to have children of her own and offers to unofficially adopt one of the two boys and pass it off as her own to her unwitting and absent husband (Graeme Kinniburgh). Despite initially agreeing, Johnstone has second thoughts when she develops a maternal bond with her two newborns and the superstitious woman has grave doubts when some new shoes are placed on the table during the handover.
The curse initially seems to have no effect. Mickey (Sean Jones) grows up in a rough and ready but happy Johnstone household while Eddie (Joe Sleight) receives all the benefits of living in affluence. The twins meet by accident and become blood brothers when they realise they share the same birthday. Despite the best efforts of the respective mothers, the two become inseparable and enjoy life alongside tomboy Linda (Gemma Brodrick).
The audience is left in no doubt that the happiness and ambitions of youth will not be sustained as the Narrator (Kristofer Harding) is a constant presence and warns the audience in poetry and song that the price must be paid for the illegal transaction.
The audience is aware from the opening scene that there will be no happy ending to the story as the bodies of Mickey and Eddie are on the stage floor. Nevertheless, the heart-rending finale hits the onlooker like an express train and is in complete contrast to the hilarious scenes that have come before.
The first meeting between Mickey and Eddie is a truly laugh-out-loud piece of comedy and this is matched by the scene that sees Mickey finally pluck up the courage to ask a very willing Linda to be his girlfriend. A perfect observation of tongue-tied teenage love.
Mickey loses his job and is dragged into crime by elder brother Sammy (Michael Gillette) causing a mental breakdown and his mental stability is further overbalanced when the increasingly unstable Mrs Lyons pours poisonous words into Mickey’s ears regarding Linda’s supposed infidelity. The stage is now set for a conclusion that wrings every drop of emotion from the audience.
The lead actors are superb and give faultless displays with Carlyle showing a heart of gold that is ripped apart in a peerless and highly emotional rendition of the final song Tell Me It’s Not True. Harding has the perfect calm but pessimistic manner of a harbinger of doom while Jones and Sleight create an excellent on-stage partnership with great comic timing. Brodrick provides beautiful love interest as she develops from a tomboy to a flirty teenager and finally to a concerned wife and mother and there is good acting from Tappenden as her haughty and financially comfortable world falls apart.
These are all backed up by a cast that shows its versatility that very effectively portrays a range of different characters of different ages who all add to the pace of the play and it is fascinating to see the same actors portray their characters as they develop from childhood, through their teen years and into adulthood.
Mention must also be made of a very effective score. Much of the music runs like a thread through the action with Marilyn Monroe starting as a breezy number but becoming increasingly gloomy; Shoes Upon The Table constantly reminds that tragedy is on the horizon; Easy Terms reiterates that a price must be paid for a person’s actions whether that be buying on the never-never or getting involved in events of dubious morality. However, the final song is a suitably dramatic ending to a powerful piece of drama and its title echoed my thoughts – Tell Me It’s Not True that this magnificent production is over.
Excellently directed by Bob Tomson, Kenwright and Tim Churchill with excellent staging by Andy Walmsley, Nick Richings, Dan Samson and Jeremy Wootton, this is another must-not-miss theatrical blockbuster.
The Narrator repeats throughout that the Devil has your number. I think that is true. I am sure that audience members will be haunted by the pleasure and pain of Blood Brothers for some time to come.
I have often made fun of my wife’s superstitions – especially her refusal to put new footwear on the table. Watching this play does make me wonder though.
The play has a running time of approximately 2 hours 45 minutes and continues at Buxton Opera House until Saturday 6th September. For ticket information contact 01298 72190
