Written by Willy Russell, Blood Brothers explores the difficult fight between nature versus nurture.
The Liverpool-based musical follows fraternal twins, Mickey and Eddie, who were separated at birth as life led them down different paths. But destiny has other plans for both and meet again.
As the musical starts, a somber air lays upon the audience, and we hear from the Narrator, played by Richard Munday. Throughout the play, the audience questions whether he is the guilt that follow the Mother of the twins, or if he is the unstoppable fate that suffers in silence. Only having one song ‘Shoes Upon the Table’, Munday made sure that we had our eyes on him, wondering where he was on stage and if we shared the same emotions as he.
Despite that Eddie and Mickey were the main characters. It was their Mother, Mrs. Johnstone, played by Niki Colwell Evans, who took centre stage on opening night. Her voice roared on the stage, and the emotions that she expressed, were felt by the audience, as everyone fell silent when she started singing. Half of the song ‘My Child’ she stood on the same spot, and the raw talent that she had, made the theatre stop. There was no questioning on whether she should have been the Mother or not, she performed with such warmth and love, that many were in tears as she sang the ending song ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’.
The set was amazing and went well with each act. The details on how to transition from one place to another were immaculate. Although the stage wasn’t that big, they made it work, with the cast helping to show the distance, they moved houses, and neighbourhoods. But it was also easy to differentiate between the rich and the poor.
One surprising factor of the show was the lack of warning of loud noises. Whilst audiences come to expect this, the toy pistols left those sat closest to stage, with the fright of their lives.Whether or not this was intentional, it did feel like a distraction from a beautiful ending, which didn’t allow to feel the intended emotions.
As someone who hasn’t study this play at school, nor raised in the UK, if you aren’t familiar with British humour, this is not your play. But overall, the musical was funny, and entertaining, and evoking. The play’s beauty reflected why the musical has been enjoyed by audiences since the 1980s.
The musical will continue at The Lowry until Saturday 22nd November.
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