Written by Willy Russell and directed by Bob Tomson and the late Bill Kenwright, Blood Brothers is set in Liverpool in the 1960s.
For those who are not familiar with the story, Blood Brothers tells the tale of the Johnstone twins who lead very different lives after being separated at birth, only learning they are twin brothers shortly before a terrible tragedy takes place. The audience gets a glimpse of what is to come, with a prologue showing the final scene right at the beginning of the production.
The narrator is ever-present in this production. Sean Keany executes this role perfectly, helping to lay raw the real life situations the characters are in and adding depth to the story.
Vivienne Carlyle plays Mrs Johnstone, who has seven children and is pregnant with twins. Her husband has left her and gone off with a younger woman, leaving Mrs Johnstone who used to look “lovelier than Marilyn Monroe” struggling financially, and bringing the children up on her own.
Carlyle takes the audience on a range of emotions with this role, expertly exposing her character as a vulnerable, loving mother who has a hard life, ending up making terrible choices because of the situation she is in. Her performances of Marilyn Monroe and Tell Me It’s Not True are incredible.
To make some money, Mrs Johnstone gets a cleaning job working for middle-class Mrs Lyons, played by Sarah Jane Buckley, who depicts the character of the wife who appears to have it all at first admirably. Mrs Lyons shows her true colours as the show develops and has a hand in the twins’ ultimate downfall. Her duet with Carlyle of My Child was exceptional.
Mickey, who was played by Sean Jones on Tuesday evening, January 14, puts in a really strong performance as an initally carefree, good-natured seven year old child. The musical number Kids game with Mickey and the other children is just brilliant, capturing the innocence of childhood.
As he grows older, Mickey loses his job and eventually gets hooked on prescription drugs after ending up going to prison for seven years. Jones really embodies this character and is so believable, your heart goes out to him and the situation he finds himself in.
Joe Sleight captures the wide eyed, innocent Eddie who emerges into the more confident twin perfectly. Linda, played by Gemma Brodrick and Sammy, played by James Ledsham, are equally well cast, delivering strong performances, with Brodrick as the twins’ best friend, eventually marrying Micky, and Sammy, the older brother who leads Mickey into trouble.
The set works really well with this performance, with backgrounds changing, depicting the move to the countryside, for example, but not interrupting the flow of the performance. I love the little details like the washing line being pulled out across the street, the inside of Mrs Lyon’s ‘posh’ house, and the council meeting room with its wood panelling. The lighting was exceptional, mirroring the mood of the cast.
The entire audience was up on its feet to give a standing ovation for this production, with many still brushing away the tears – myself included. An excellent performance.
★★★★★
Blood Brothers is at Derby Theatre until Saturday, January 18. Tickets £18 – £53
BSL interpreted performance Thursday, January 16
