A relatable and entertaining Scouse classic, bringing the class divisions of the late 20th century to light.
Having studied Blood Brothers back in school, I was really looking forward to seeing it on the stage. Let me tell you-it did not disappoint! Returning to its home crowd in Liverpool at the Empire Theatre, the atmosphere was amazing. Every seat in the theatre was filled and the energy was contagious. I think this is owed to Blood Brothers being a Scouse classic, having been written by a local from Knowsley, Willy Russell, and set in Liverpool . This was displayed in the portrayal of working class Everton through the sets and a range of Liverpudlian accents – in varying degrees of accuracy.
This play appeals to all with its relatable themes of family bonds and sibling rivalry, which is portrayed amazingly by brothers Sammy (Timothy Lucas) and Micky (Sean Jones). Sean Jones did this role justice, playing a cheeky-chappy young working class lad in the first half that morphs into an older damaged person, hurt by the world that was built to be against him as he grew up.
This play explores the class divisions of England in the late 20th century, as twins who were separated at birth and grew up in very different households grow up together-unaware of their relation. This is done beautifully in this peace mixing mundane relations, lots of humour and darker themes together. One shining star of this play was Niki Colwell Evans (Mrs Johnstone) who absolutely shone in the singing scenes throughout the play. One tune was often used, repeated with different lyrics as the play progressed.
My favourite thing about this play, was their unique use of the whole theatre. In the production’s finale when tensions come to a head and the twins confront each other, members of the cast used a side door and ran along to the stage and policemen were stationed on either side of the stage – outside of the main set. Creating a feeling of just how a swat team would be in such a situation – this brought a unique sense of chaos to the play which emulated how it would feel if you lived that experience.
My critique of this play is the pacing. Whilst it was mostly steadily paced throughout- the transition of Micky turning on his unknown twin Eddie was sped through – and whilst I understand this may have been a conscious choice to emulate the speed of unreasonable emotions and conclusions. It ended up being a bit confusing.
Overall, this play was very good and I think its something that everybody would enjoy.