Blood Brothers opens with those words, spoken in the Liverpool twang of the mysterious narrator of the play, played by Keith Burns. It kept me enthralled throughout, which has to be something of an achievement as I am a very fidgety person who can't concentrate well!
My sister said she would take me to a musical in the west end for my christmas present and I had to choose which one I wanted to see. Going from recomendations and personal choice, I chose Blood Brothers, and did not regret this choice.
Willy Russell, the writer of Blood Brothers, also wrote Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine and Stags and Hens. I acted out a scene from Educating Rita for my Drama GCSE and I loved the humour and down to earth feel of Russell's writing. Blood Brothers was Willy Russells only musical, and many people scoffed at the thought of the concept working.However, Russell had the last laugh as Blood Brothers has now been running for years and has won numerous awards including an Ivor Novello. Blood Brothers opened in Liverpool in 1983, before subsequently moving to the West End, and is now shown at the Phoenix Theatre.
There are showings at these times:
Evenings: 7.45pm Matinees: 3pm, Sat: 4pm
As the tickets were a present I don't know how much they cost (I am too polite to ask) but there are varying prices depending on where you sit, as in any theatre. You can also try your luck at buying last minute tickets from the many booths around Leicester Square, or book online in advance. Try:
www.ticketmaster.com
My sister booked tickets over the phone with a credit card which we picked up with no problems once we arrived (about 1/2 an hour before the start of the show).
Our seats were in the upper circle, two rows from the back. Before the curtains went up I was a little worried as we were so high up it was like looking down on the stage and it made me feel dizzy! Once the play started though it wasn't a huge problem, although I couldn't see the actors faces very well. The main problem with the seating in the upper circle was the sound. I have to explain the set to make this clear.
Blood Brothers is the story of twin brothers who are separated at birth. Mrs Lyons, a rich woman who can't have children of her own, persuades her cleaning lady, Mrs Johnston, to agree to give away one of her baby twins in order that her other children won't be taken into care. The women agree that it should be their secret and no one else shall ever know the truth. The Johnstons are a "problem family" with little money and many mouths to feed, wheras the Lyons have plenty of money to lavish on their "son".
We follow the brothers, Mickey and Eddie, through their lives and see how their mothers decision to give Eddie away causes tragedy. The comedy of the early years of the boys lives as we see them playing in the streets only makes the climax of the play more shocking and effective.
The set was simple and related to the themes of class and money. The stage had a row of houses on either side of the stage, the "poor" neighbourhood on the left, and the wealthy houses on the right. The upper floors of the houses were used to house the musicians, who could be seen through the "windows". At times the music was so loud that it drowned the actors voices out. Seeing as the songs are used to further the plot, this was quite annoying!
The acting was excellent, particular mention must go to Siobhan McCarthy as the boys mother. In this production, she is made out to have totally good intentions and is the heroine of the audience as she makes her constant references to her idol, Marilyn Monroe. Paul Crosby, wo plays Mickey, was as convincing playing a seven year old as he was at playing the grown up Mickey.
I enjoyed Blood Brothers so much, the last 30 minutes of the play were gripping and I didn't look away from the stage once. It made me laugh, cry, and think. I like to believe in a society where anyone can be successful with both ability and motivation, but Blood Brothers gives the depressing impression that wealth and class is everything. Eddie grows up to be a councillor and Mickey has a job in a factory and struggles to survive.
Although the play is essentially "dark", especially at the moments where the narrator steps in to make a social comment on the goings-on, it has many funny moments. One especially is when the milkman turns out to be the gynacologist.
The songs were very well sung even if the music did drown out the words at times, and the live saxophonist was excellent and added atmosphere. The final song "Tell me it's not true" was a highlight for me, showing the emotion perfectly. The Liverpool accents were very well carried off by all cast members too. I hate to think how an American cast would do Scouse accents.
Some critics say that Blood Brothers is overly sentimental and simplistic, but I disagree. The audience is made to feel like a friend of the family, and gets emotionally involved. Weepy types may get upset, I am warning you!
The play starts at the end, then goes back and tells the events that led to that situation. To say too much would give the plot away. I would not recommend this play for children under 12 as they would probably get bored although they would enjoy the scenes depicting the twins' childhood. Also, if you like big effects and costumes a la "Lion King", this show may not be for you.
But if you like an honest story, simply but effectively told, I think you will love Blood Brothers. I know I did, but next time I will get better seats and I think I will enjoy it even more.
The show lasts for 2 hours 30 minutes, with a short interval. It never feels too long though and I never got bored
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Dec 24th, 2001
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