Review of Blood Brothers at Malvern Theatres

BLOOD Brothers was written as a book with lyrics and music by Willy Russell and the story revolves around twins Mickey and Eddie who were separated at birth, one subsequently being sold and raised by a wealthy family and the other by their own mother.

These different environments take the twins to opposite ends of the social spectrum, one becoming a councillor whist the other the other is unemployed and sent to prison.

They have both fallen in love with the same girl, causing a rift in their friendship and eventually leading to the tragic death of both brothers.

Blood Brothers started life as a school play and debuted in Liverpool before a short run in Worcester’s Swan Theatre.

Russell, with the immense help of the late Bill Kenwright, transferred it to the West End in 1983.

The musical won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and went on to a year-long national tour before returning for a revival in the West End in 1988 where it stayed at the Albery Theatre for three years, transferring to the Phoenix Theatre in 1991.

The revival ran for more than 24 years in the West End and played more than 10,000 performances, becoming the third longest-running musical production in West End history.

It finally closed in November 2012. The musical has been produced with success on tour, on Broadway and elsewhere, and it has developed a cult following.

Niki Colwell Evans was a fabulous Mrs Johnson, a poor wife with an inadequate work-shy husband.

She already has five children and is expecting twins. She opens the show with the Marilyn Monroe number about how she and her husband used to go out dancing.

Scott Anson is the excellent narrator who leads the audience through the complicated plot where Mrs Johnson is employed by the factory-owning wife Mrs Lyons, played by Sarah Jane Buckley.

An arrangement is made to give Eddie to Mrs Lyons.

Mrs Johnson continues to work for Mrs Lyons. However, she decides to fire her because she feels she is too attached to her own child.

The Shoes on the Table song demonstrates the superstitious nature of the time.

Some years later Mickey (Sean Jones) and Eddie (Joe Sleight) meet by chance and find out they share a birthday.

They decide to become blood brothers but are discovered by Mrs Johnson who sends Eddie away.

Mickey returns to the scene and Mrs Lyons sends him away.

At this stage of the play the love interest Linda (Gemma Brodrick) is taken to meet Eddie by Mickey.

Mrs Lyons worries about Eddie's whereabouts and finds they had been caught throwing stones by the police.

At this point the boys are separated once more as Mrs Lyons and her husband move to a better neighbourhood.

However, this is matched by the council deciding to move their tenants near to the same area (Bright New Day).

In act two We rejoin the twins, now 14. The Johnsons have a new home and have not seen Eddie for ages.

Mickey has a crush on Linda but does not know how to tell her.

Mickey's older brother steals some money and Eddie is suspended from his public school.

An increasingly-paranoid Mrs Lyons questions whether she is free from Mrs Johnson. She attacks her with a knife.

Linda reveals that Mickey has not asked her out and Eddie leaves for university.

During Eddie's absence, Linda gets pregnant and she and Mickey quickly marry, moving in with Mrs Johnson.

Mickey is made redundant by his workplace. Then Eddie returns that Christmas and he and Mickey have moved apart.

In order to make some money Mickey is involved in a robbery that makes him an accessory to murder committed by his brother and is sent to prison for seven years but is released early.

He is depressed and turns away from Linda (Marilyn Monroe song) and contacts Eddie who is a local councillor and finds him a house in Liverpool.

Mickey is convinced that Linda and Eddie are having an affair, grabs a gun once owned by Sammy, confronts and kills Eddie.

The police at the scene shoot and kill Mickey and Mrs Johnson joins the scene with the show-stopping Tell Me It's Not True with all of this amazing cast on the stage.

The audience cheered and many recalls were necessitated.

Certainly, the best show on the Malvern Theatre stage for some time.

It was certainly a five-star performance.