Blood Brothers Theatre Royal

Everyone knows the story of the Johnston twins, as identical as two new pins, and as such, almost everyone who comes to see Willy Russell's Blood Brothers does so with a degree of expectation which rivals most other shows.  

Little has changed in the 40 years since the show first hit the stage; the songs, the set and the mood all remain instantly recognisable, and yet the brilliance of the writing and the complexity of the characters provide each production with an opportunity to add their own special take.

Set in Liverpool over 25 years it plots the course of the lives of twins who, having been separated at birth, remain fatefully linked through common loves, shared struggles and ultimately both unknowing of their own secret. To many, the underlying story is one of nature versus nurture, but it's far more complex than that; no two humans are identical, despite them being twins and as such it is emotion that separates the two boys more than miles or money.

Paula Tappenden (Blood Brothers super star, Wind in the Willows, Wizrd of Oz) plays the boys' mother, Mrs Johnston, and is simply perfect.  She brings a worldly-wise element which deepens the belief that she has lived through all she sings of. She has a brilliant maternal embrace for the part, blending the love only a mother could have with the strength to defy the odds and fight against the cruel hand of fate.  Paula starts the show light on her feet, twinkle in her eye and a cheeky smile, yet, by the time of the final scene we have watched her grow old before our eyes, lose the joys of life and finally witness the spectre of death that has haunted her throughout.   I defy there to have ever been as powerful and emotive lead seen and this was borne out by the sight at the very end with the audience giving a tear streaked standing ovation.

The chalk to Mrs J's cheese, Mrs Lyons was played by the wonderful Grace Galloway  (Di and Viv and Rose, Chess the Musical ) - brilliant acted as the over protective, self obsessed snob who cannot bear to accept her part in the ultimate tragedy of the story.  Grace's portrayal of middle aged Mrs L belies her own youth and is great testament to her acting skills.

Of course, the story is not just Mrs Johnston vs Mrs Lyons, the rest of the cast are stella in their delivery too.  Robbie Scotcher (Miss Saigon, Footloose, Anything Goes) as the narrator is the ever present shadow of conscience, skulking in the dark, sliding through scenes as the fore-mentioned spectre and constantly reminding us that this story is destined to be an unhappy one.  

Josh Capper (Alladin, The Turnip Field) as Micky and Joel Benedict (a previous Blood Brothers Alumni) as Eddie have great chemistry and play off each other like brothers always do.  In particular, Josh's portrayal of Micky as he descends into depression and pill dependency is a huge shift from the care free, rebel with a smile Micky he plays earlier and demonstrates a wonderfully deep appreciation of the role and human nature.  

Danielle Corlass (another previous BB star as well as Janet in Rocky Horror Show) as Linda, undergoes perhaps the biggest shift in character; starting as a 7 year old tom boy, she morphs into a giggling adolescent, then a lovestruck teenager before becoming a newly wed and ultimately a heartbroken widow.   For all that Mrs J takes centre stage as the linchpin of the story, Danielle as Linda is the perfect foil to remind the audience that this is not a one dimensional story about the boys.

A special mention to Daniel Taylor (Brookside, Game On, The Bill and countless wonderful stage shows) as rebellious renegade Sammy - totally believable as the dangerous rogue, very threatening.

If there are any who have yet to see Blood Brothers, this will be the best and most memorable show you will see this year - a wonderful release from the difficult times we've been through - give yourself permission to cry with everyone else.

Blood Brothers 2018

Evergreen favourite Blood Brothers makes full use of the newly refurbished Hippodrome, bringing everyone to their feet for a rapturous and well deserved ovation and sets a new high standard for musical theatre.

I doubt there’s many in the land who have not at least heard of Willy Russell’s timeless classic tear jerker Blood Brothers, every tour draws record crowds of seasoned viewers and first timers, and, with each cast, the style and subtleties shift back and forth, but this current tour and the newly remastered soundtrack brings the whole show into the HD age.  Stunning sets, an immersive soundscape and innovative lighting breathe new life into an always vibrant show furthered enhanced by some brilliant additions and updating to the script and playlist.

Making full use of the Hippodrome’s enlarged stage and increased scenery capacity, the cast have space to grow and develop their characters in ways previous versions were restricted.  The new sets provide a solid feel to the streets of 70’s Liverpool and real air of believability, you can almost taste the smoke filled air and smell the grime.

The story is one of faith and fate – the Johnstone twins, separated soon after birth, one destined for a life of privilege and the other a life of struggle and toil, are oblivious to their fraternal links and yet despite (or because) of this, fate draws them together to for a childhood bond – Blood Brothers.  Sadly, as their youth being to slip away, the demand of each’s callings start to strain their once happy partnership resulting in the most horrific and heart-breaking climax to any story.  Overseen by the Narrator (if not THE Devil then certainly A devil) played with an omnipresent maleficence by the brilliant Mathew Craig, who manages to both snarl and smile in equal measures and always with a degree of absolute menace. 

The main focus for the 1st act is the relationship between the hard worn, yet happy mother of many Mrs Johnstone, and the lonely Mrs Lyons, for whom her considerable wealth cannot buy the one thing she craves most, a child.  Playing Mrs J for tonight’s show was the utterly mesmerising Sarah Jane Buckley.  Sarah Jane, who for this tour is normally in the shoes of Mrs Lyons, plays by far the very best Mrs Johnstone I’ve ever seen – her early innocence (despite the hardships of being a single mother of 5+) is always upbeat and optimistic and even when it became more world weary, she resists the temptation to introduce any cynicism into her character and instead just exudes maternal love for her whole brood.  As with anyone playing this role, she will be ultimately judged on the final number, performing the stand out classic “Tell me it’s not True” and it is here, at our journey’s end that she displays the raw emotion only normally seen at the site of real life tragedies.  What sets this performance apart from others gone before is that Sarah Jane doesn’t rely on simply building to a huge crescendo, she wrestles with trying to control her grief throughout, acting in true disbelief and even making to tuck her two little boys in as though they were just having a nap before the reality breaks and with it every eye in the theatre starts to water.

Of course, the story wouldn’t be anything without the twins – Eddie, the one handed to privilege whose childlike innocence and ability to stay aloof from the demands of forging his own way in life is played by Mark Hutchinson.  It is telling that Eddie, despite aging at the same rate and duration as his twin, seldom loses, or has to lose, this immaturity, being of wealth and the protection that brings.  Micky (Sean Jones) on the other hand, takes the viewer on his rollercoaster journey of a childhood of total abandon, through the awkwardness of adolescence and then into the downward spiral of disillusionment, depression and eventually destruction.  Sean has a remarkable ability to capture each stage so perfectly that were he to only depict one version of Micky it would be heralded as a masterpiece, yet here we are being treated to multiples.  His final portrayal of Micky, dependent on tranquilizers and doubting of his own sanity was so good it left me unable to shake a concern for his real well being.

The rest of the cast provide this new version with such a variety of additional characters that every group scene is packed with so much action it’s hard to keep up .  Aside from the street kids in the early story, they seamlessly morph into teachers (both private and state) bus drivers, policemen, bailiffs and delivery men – perhaps the funniest was the instance of the milkman suddenly becoming a gynaecologist – both responsible for deliveries.

The dynamic lighting and rescored soundscape thrust this production firmly into the HD era; perhaps this is needed more now than ever as the competition for audience means musical theatre is going head to head with digital providers such as Netflix, as well as the mega box office franchises a la Marvel Universe etc.  What is clear from watching last night, is that regardless of the Hollywood millions, there is no substitution for feeling the emotion of a live performance when it is delivered by truly amazing actors, a feeling that becomes almost tribal when you look around and see everyone else experiencing the very same feelings as you.

As always, watching Blood Brothers comes with a hanky warning but I think this one will leave you with such a rounded appreciation of the whole show that the tears of the ending will soon make way to smiles of joy on your way home.

Blood Brothers Page 2 Stage

I think most people know the story of the Johnson twins …… Willy Russell’s timeless tale of the paths twin brothers lives take when separated only to find fate keeping them together.  It was originally written to be performed within a very intimate setting, often in the round, and certainly without elaborate sets, staging and music.  Since its humble beginnings, it has played to hundreds of thousands and gone from a small story about class and superstition to a full blown modern opera regularly attracting the biggest names in musical theatre.  For sure, people enjoy the headliners; Marti Pellow, Maureen Nolan, Niki Evans are the most recent to tour the nations largest and grandest theatres, but it is when the story returns to its origins, played by a young cast and on a pared down stage that the emotion and power are unquestionable.  For this production, the Village Hall in Eaglescliffe was the venue and the brilliant Page2Stage Performing Arts group were the headliners.

Right from the beginning, the characters felt real, as large as life and utterly believable.  There was no time, nor was there any need for time, to grow into the story as from 1st curtain we were in Liverpool in the 60's.  The accents were spot on, never dropping into parody or becoming comical and, with a sparse set, the focus remained solely on the actors; you didn’t need an elaborate backdrop, nor did you need clever and complicated lighting arrangements, the cast transported you into both the humble terrace and the fancy posh house through simple, brilliant story telling - I swear you could almost smell and taste coal fire smoke and street dust. 

For this production the main roles were double cast – often this is to allow more of the cast to lead and enjoy the thrill of being centre stage, but certainly in professional productions, this simply means two different people playing the same part, same lines and same characterisations.  Not for Page2Stage – the double casting for Blood Brothers tapped into each actors’ strengths and, through the brilliance of Director Kelly, the two shows had very distinctly different feelings.  Sadly, two of the leads for Saturday night were unable to perform (due to illness and an untimely coming together of head and wall).  This meant there was some very last minute re-staging required yet, in total professionalism, there wasn’t a dropped line, cue or beat throughout.

Night one, with Matty Dickens as Micky and Jacob Lynch as Eddie had a very young and youthful approach – the story was very much about two childhood friends whose lives take separate paths, one up, the other down, who then meet again with very different outlooks on life.  Recognising that their once inseparable friendship had run its course, Micky shuns all Eddie’s offers of help and eventually resents his once blood brother’s happiness.  Despite Jacob having rehearsed for the 2^nd night casting and not previously played opposite Matty, the two lads had great chemistry – the early childish pranks were just like best friends’ scrapes whilst the later frustrations had a feeling of sad resolve that comes with losing a friend. 

Matty’s portrayal of the young Micky, complete with pretend shooting, hero worship of his elder brother Sammy (wonderfully played both nights by Fraser Belton as the edgy bully who surrounds himself with younger, impressionable kids) and his awkward attempts at courting Linda were perfectly angst forming. He was just a normal lad, happy in his own skin and content to follow the paths of others before him and Matty has that natural, boyish charm which makes him so believable.  As he suffers knock back after knock back he struggles to understand why the world is against him;  Matty avoids the temptation to have Micky over analyse his fate and instead look for the easier targets to blame; Eddie, Linda, his Mum, life itself – and so it is a quite young man who lies dead in the final scene.

Micky on Sunday was played by Kane Smith and boy did Kane take this role into the darkside – his early Micky still had the boyish fun, innocent yet naughty but he was able to really accentuate Micky’s subsequent descent into self, and world, loathing.  In the full story, Micky becomes paranoid, depressed, manic, reliant on prescription medication and self-destructive and whilst the script was abridged to remove some of the more adult scenes Kane kept the intensity and utter despair rarely seen in even the most professional performances.  His refusal to accept Linda’s unconditional love was heart-breaking and gave the final scene the tear-jerking emotion the show is famous for.

Jacob, as Eddie, brilliantly brought the counterpoint to Micky’s street smarts – he was foppish, innocent, aloof, unsure of himself and obviously protected from the real world by his paranoid mother.  Through the progression from 7 (almost 8) year old to university student, company owner and eventually councillor Jacob ensured that Eddie never loses the feeling that this just isn’t him, he’s still Micky’s friend from the old days and can’t understand why his desire to help is always rebuffed.  Jacob is wonderfully adept at responding to his opposite cast; having rehearsed with one Micky he adapted expertly to the other and never lost the connections between the 2 brothers.

I think the character of Linda is the hardest to play in the whole show – Linda goes from tomboy to lovestruck teenager to newly-wed young mother to widow all in the space of just over an hour and it is testament to both Linda's – Jessica Bayley on Saturday and Alicia Percy on Sunday – that you were never in doubt that you were watching the life of this young woman start, form and then be ripped apart.  Just how either Mickey could take so long to get with such attractive Linda's must be down to brilliant acting (and no little resolve) not to mention that Jessica has a mean right hook which Matty’s left cheek can play testimony to. 

The boys’ mother, Mrs Johnson, was played on both nights by Florence MacMahon and, as the glue that holds the whole story together, Florence was amazing.  Mrs J opens the show and in that one scene has to set the backstory, the current predicament, show the desire to get out of her current life and demonstrate that, despite being on hard times, she will do anything to make her children happy. Florence, like many of the cast, has an uncanny ability to visibly age on stage without any change in makeup or costume, her acting moves her from young mum to concerned confidante to destroyed parent and was a powerful and moving performance.

Mrs Lyons, Eddie’s ‘adopted’ mum, was played by Chloe Handley on Saturday and Penny Eastbury on Sunday.  Both girls approached the role differently and this, as mentioned earlier, helped to cement the double casting approach.  Chloe was wonderful as the upper middle class housewife and showed Mrs Lyons’ obsession on portraying the ‘proper’ social etiquette when in reality knowing that it is only her husband’s money on which her standing is built. Chloe had a clever way of having Mrs Lyons talk very calmly and yet being quite animated; a trait that many people who are begging for acceptance use and this gave her version of Mrs L a fragile desperation to keep hold of what she’s got.

Penny’s portrayal of Mrs Lyons was that of a woman very confident in her own standing, her husband was fortunate to have her at home and as such whatever she wants she gets.  She had an edge which said “get in the way and I will hurt you” , a real snobbish view of the world and this extended to her willingness to break up Micky & Linda if it meant retaining her status quo – in fact it is her actions that creates the juxtaposition resulting in the death of both boys – if she hadn’t been so obsessed with Mrs Johnson and Micky being near her (and her previous association with and reliance on the lower classes) she would have allowed nature to take its course without ever needing to get involved.

Of course, anyone who has seen the show will know that there is an undercurrent of superstition and impending doom throughout, ably provided by the narrator.  This character constantly reminds us that this is not a nice, simple tale of family values, that there bargains have been made and debts need to be paid.  The standout performance in both shows was by Ollie Mawson who took this role and totally made it his own.  Ollie belies his tender age to give a truly mesmerising performance, even as he walks slowly onto stage behind the main cast he has all eyes on him as we await his next prophetic soliloquy – mean, menacing and with an evil enjoyment in his work.

The rest of the cast were made up by the ensemble, all of whom were mark & cue perfect and ensured that the story never dropped in pace or intensity. Maya Darley, Harriet Claydon, Luca Howlett and Alfie Lovett gave the richness of ensemble normally associated with a much larger group.  This meant that, whilst the showtime was just over an hour, it never felt that this was Blood Brothers ‘Lite’, nor did the abridgements detract from the story, the emotion or the sense of having just been told a great story.

Page 2 Stage Performing Arts group is a creative youth theatre, not just  a ‘drama club’.  The group is about raising students confidence and self belief through a learning process that encompasses all elements of the arts, with a slightly stronger focus on drama. In the past they have looked at a range of different genres and has incorporated filmmaking, dancing, singing and improvised theatre in performances  as well as scriptwriting. The primary aim of the group is to provide a safe environment which allows the students to grow as individuals and gain confidence in themselves through the arts.  They are always looking for new members – visit their Facebook page for more details - 

https://www.facebook.com/Page2stagePerformingArts/info/?tab=overview

Blood Brothers @ Darlington Civic

Maureen Nolan gives a powerful and emotional performance at Darlington Civic

Everyone knows the story of the Johnston twins, as identical as two new pins, and as such, almost everyone who comes to see Willy Russell's Blood Brothers does so with a degree of expectation which rivals most other shows.  Little has changed in the 29 years since the show first hit the stage; the songs, the set and the mood all remain instantly recognisable, and yet the brilliance of the writing and the complexity of the characters provide each production with an opportunity to add their own special take.

Set in Liverpool over 25 years it plots the course of the lives of twins who, having been separated at birth, remain fatefully linked through common loves, shared struggles and ultimately both unknowing of their own secret. To many, the underlying story is one of nature versus nurture, but it's far more complex than that; no two humans are identical, despite them being twins and as such it is emotion that separates the two boys more than miles or money.

Maureen Nolan plays the boys' mother, Mrs Johnston, and is simply perfect.  She brings a worldly-wise element which deepens the belief that she has lived through all she sings of. She has a brilliant maternal embrace for the part, blending the love only a mother could have with the strength to defy the odds and fight against the cruel hand of fate.  Maureen starts the show light on her feet, twinkle in her eye and a cheeky smile, yet, by the time of the final scene we have watched her grow old before our eyes, lose the joys of life and finally witness the spectre of death that has haunted her throughout.     I defy there to have ever been as powerful and emotive lead seen at Darlington Civic and this was borne out by the sight at the very end of the sell out audience rising as one to give one of the most rapturous and intense ovations.

Of course, the story is not just Mrs Johnston, the rest of the cast are brilliant in their delivery too.  Kristopher Harding as the narrator is the ever present shadow of conscience, skulking in the dark, sliding through scenes as the fore-mentioned spectre and constantly reminding us that this story is destined to be an unhappy one.  Sean Jones (Micky) and Joel Benedict (Eddie) have great chemistry and play off each other like brothers always do.  In particular, Sean's portrayal of Micky as he descends into depression and pill dependency is a huge shift from the care free, rebel with a smile Micky he plays earlier and demonstrates a wonderfully deep appreciation of the role and human nature.  Danielle Corlass, as Linda, undergoes perhaps the biggest shift in character; starting as a 7 year old tom boy, she morphs into a giggling adolescent, then a lovestruck teenager before becoming a newly wed and ultimately a heartbroken widow.  For all that Maureen Nolan takes centre stage as the linchpin of the story, Danielle is the perfect foil to remind the audience that this is not a one dimensional story about the boys.

If there are any who have yet to see Blood Brothers, this will be the best and most memorable show you will see this year, for those who have seen previous productions you owe it to yourselves to go and see this one and marvel at the best Mrs Johnston - just remember a large supply of tissues.

Blood Brothers @ Darlington Civic 2012

First things first - apart from watching Becca's school drama abridged version of this modern masterpiece reviewed previously I have never seen Blood Brothers.  Sure, I know the story and, having ran lines with my eldest for 3 months, I had a pretty good idea of most of the dialogue, but this was scant preparation for the completely immersive way in which the cast & production team take you on the life journey of the Johnstone twins. 

Right from the beginning, the characters were real, as large as life and utterly believable.  There was no time, nor was there any need for time, to grow into the story as from 1st curtain we were in Liverpool in the 60's.  The accents, the scenery, the brilliant cast and I swear I could smell and taste coal fire smoke and street dust.  It was a "feet-up and let the story take you" type of show, one which is sadly all too rare now as theatre (and especially long running theatre) often tries too hard to be clever.

The part of the narrator was missing in my only previous experience of Willy Russell's masterpiece so I was intrigued to watch Marti Pellow and his portrayal of the 'devil on the shoulder' role. He was wonderful, a sinister mix of malevolent story teller and future-wise soothsayer.  His omnipresence lent an eery subtext to the whole story, as if watching everything in a 'told you so' hindsight which stoked the feelings of pending doom and prepared the watcher for the tragic ending.

The cast, especially those playing Mickey (James Templeton), Eddie (Jorden Bird) and Linda (Olivia Sloyan ) were truly believable as snotty-nose, fun loving kids complete with the simple innocence of make believe horses, gun fights and target practice.  In fact, it never occurred whilst watching the story unfold that it was the same actors who then moved through adolescence and into adulthood, it was simply Mickey, Eddie and Linda as they grew up. 

The story's heart rendering ending is as well known as the twist at the end of the Sixth Sense; everyone I know who has seen this play seems to like to confess to shedding a tear, so I was quite dubious as to how something so obvious and expected can provoke such a response, boy was I wrong.  I have not witnessed such sheer raw and visible emotion from a leading lady before;  Niki Evans as Mrs Johnstone was just mesmerising, hypnotic and I could feel myself rapidly joining the aforementioned group of "I cried at the end of Blood Brothers".  It was clear that  Niki puts a helluva lot of emotion into her performance, it was only on the 4th and 5th curtain call that she seemed able to lift the tearful veil and start to smile again.

The audience love this show, there was a full house at the start and a full house standing ovation at the end and I have to admit, it gave me goosebumps.  If you have yet to see Blood Brothers then tickets are still available, get your seat, get your hankies and get ready to join the "I cried at the end...." club.

Beyond the Barricade @ Darlington Civic

Give yourself over to absolute pleasure

Nostalgia always seems to make the past look better than the present; the summers were warmer, the roads quieter, petrol cheaper, wagon wheels (much) bigger so in this cold, wet June I had a real need for something to transport me back into those 'halcyon' days. 

The formation of Beyond the Barricade was driven by the huge and dramatic growth in popularity of the modern musical theatre of the 70's and 80's. Sired in part by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, and married to Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Blood Brothers, the British musical was in it's dominance; the millions of theatre-goers revelled in the huge stages and thrilling stories, but most of all it was the songs and anthems that provided these shows with the longevity to span wars, governments, economic crises and all cultural changes.

Andy Reiss (look him up on Google, if there's been a musical hit over the past 30 years you'll find his name linked to it somewhere) has created a wonderful evening of musical indulgence, and with David Fawcett, Rebecca Vere and Katie Leeming has the perfect cast to bring the very best of the West End to any theatre.  The show has been touring longer than Westlife have been out of short trousers (David's joke, not mine - honest!) and they have formed a real sense of how to keep things fresh and fun. 

Unofficially compered by David (and a wicked sense of humour), the show sweeps through a list of shows which I defy anyone to have not heard of or been to see, but it never feels like the cast are just 'going through the numbers'.  Each show is afforded it's own build up, scene setting and with a very intuitive choice of songs you get the full feeling of the show in a brief but powerful slice.

To give you an idea of what to expect, the shows sampled included: Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Blood Brothers, Lion King, Chess, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, We will Rock You, Jersey Boys and Evita (it's quite humbling to see how many of these are from Lord ALW).  What is equally impressive is that the cast have starred in all of these shows as full productions in their own right, they are not just great singers - their list of credits is so big you could believe they must have cloned themselves many times over, but I assure you there are only 4 of them.

This show tours almost constantly but with a huge choice of musicals to draw from, and a brilliant band and crew, they are constantly looking to freshen up the 'play list', introduce new numbers and mothball others, so even if you've seen this before you are guaranteed to see something different the next time.

I had a wonderful evening, as did Becca who spent the evening whispering "Ooo - I know this one..."