Reviewed by Jayne Wiggins
With over 30 years of success, Willy Russell’s tragic story of social disparity and human frailty hit the Milton Keynes stage with a simplicity which caught me off guard. I tweeted after the show “OMG Blood Brothers! I often get emotional at the theatre but I have never lost my *** before and been so quick to jump out of my seat to offer a standing ovation!”
Set in the late 50s/early 60s the musical tells of the life of a single mum, abandoned by her husband as a mother of seven and expecting yet again. Mrs Johnstone lives in a run down house on a Liverpool estate with her seven children, items bought on credit which she has no chance of ever repaying before finally getting herself a cleaning job for the wealthy Mrs Lyons. Mrs Johnstone discovers she is expecting twins and confides in her employer how concerned she is after ‘the welfare’ have already threatened to remove her children as she can’t seem to control them or care for them. This is when the childless Mrs Lyons hatches a plan to take one of the babies as her own and raise the boy with her unsuspecting husband believing the child to be his. Reluctantly, Mrs Johnstone agrees but it is not long before the fearful Mrs Lyons wants the birth mother as far away from ‘her’ baby as possible, and asks Mrs Johnstone to leave her employment.
I have to admit that as I left the auditorium after the first act I was ready to write my first ever bad review! Act one saw the audience introduced to the twins in their different lives, Mickey living in the poverty his mother has never managed to leave, and Eddie in the affluent life as a lone child to Mr and Mrs Lyons. We see the poverty divide of the Liverpool council estate – children running amock in the streets with little supervision. I was reminded of parts of my own childhood on a council estate with the exception that my parents struggled to protect my siblings and I from the street life of other children. It was heart breaking yet warming to see the children playing at cowboys and indians, heart wrenching to see the older brother – Sammy – all but bullying the seven year old Mickey. The innocence of the cossetted Eddie in stark contrast managed to show the social divide without forcing the audience to see him as a pampered rich boy. My near miss at a poor review was caused mostly by my disappointment at seeing adults play the parts of the children. It was disconcerting for me personally to see two grown men using childish voices and stretching jumpers over their knees as they played the seven year old twins. The other friends including Sammy and the young female protagonist Linda – were all played by adults. Don’t get me wrong, the actors were splendid and really did portray the young children with perfection, but I was already struggling with the idea of the implecable Lyn Paul as a 25 year old Mrs Johnstone. It was a stretch too far for me to imagine these grown men as children, in fact I likened them to the Little Britain ‘bitty’ character!
I was eating my words by the end of the show! I had wondered why the producers could not find capable young actors from the whole of the UK, I had wondered why such a mature – albeit extremely talented lady – had been cast for Mrs Johnstone. By the end of the show I understood completely and feel I grew to love those characters more by having seen the same actors ‘grow up’ on stage before me. My biggest shout out must go to the Narrator, Dean Chisnall. His vocals were flawless and powerful, his character subtle yet dominant as the muse/devil/reminder of evil doing. He kept the narrative moving throughout the show as he warned both mums that there would be a price to pay for their actions. Danielle Corlass was endearing as Linda. Her portayal of seven year old Linda was convincing once I had allowed myself to see beyong the physical age of the actress. She moved seemlessly through the ages to a forward 14 year old and eventually a convincing wife to Mickey. I couldn’t say the same for the transition from 7 year old to 14 year old from Mark Hutchinson as he played Eddie. For me both the ages were too similar, though as the character grew older I thoroughly enjoyed a rather bumling character portrayal, akin to Hugo from the ‘Vicar of Dibley’! It was very touching when the audience realised that Eddie was in love with Linda but encouraged his friend (unknown twin) – Mickey – to finally profess his love for Linda instead! Sean Jones nailed it as Mickey grew up in age. We watched the innocent, relatively happy little boy, grow into a slightly awkward teen, then maturing further to an 18 year old who started to take on the pressures of the world. After losing his job and falling into criminality with his brother Sammy, Sean Jones was heartbreaking in his building of Mickey as an ever more frail, life weary character. HE is the reason I finally understood the greatness of casting adults as children in Act 1!
Sarah Jane Buckley took my heart in a way as the childless Mrs Lyons. Her desperation for a child to raise as her own is heartbreaking as it simply demonstrates the ‘money can’t buy happiness’ mantra. Such was her desire for a child that she was willing to hatch such a plan, such was her need to ensure she was the one and only ‘true’ mother to Eddie she cast Mrs Johnstone out of their lives completely. I felt for the character as a desperate mum who has lived the life on the edge since becoming a mum. I couldn’t even dislike her when she was the reason for the ultimate end.
I have to say, having now seen the show, I wish I could have been in the first audiences before people knew the story over 30 years ago. I knew how this musical ended though I had never seen it and didn’t know the exact scene. Yet as the scene drew closer my heart rate increased and my stress levels elevated as I wanted to jump up there myself and stop what was about to happen! My husband was already crying beside me before the gunshots made me jump and the auditorium gasped out loud! I was a breath away from screaming ‘no!’ and can only imagine what the audience reaction was all those years ago. As Lyn Paul collapsed on stage as Mrs Johnstone – covering her sons, I could genuinely see two babies lying dead on that stage!! Lyn Paul’s vocals were as high as I would have expected from such an iconinc singer anyway, but her emotion convinced me of a mum grieving the loss of two babies up there. The tragedy of their lives, of the choices two mums had made, of the social injustices which are as relevant today as they ever were (and which in part – is why this show still enjoys success), all of this was etched on the face of Lyn Paul, long after the lights had dimmed and lifted on the actors.
THIS was when I lost my grip! I admit to sobbing like a baby! I would love to be able to talk about the set, the lighting, the music – but the story and the acting had me so enthralled by the end that I can just about say – the set was simple and effective with very little being changed and a simple backdrop only really changing as all of he families moved to the countryside.
I have never been confident enough to be the first to stand for an ovation. I have joined in many standing ovations, but as the lights dimmed on this spectacular show, I had already thrown my programme on the floor as I jumped out of my seat shouting and applauding. It was at this point that I noticed EVERY SINGLE person in the audience doing the same.
Willy Russell – this show should go on and on and on, a great story, great script, great musical. The cast were perfect and if I had the chance to go and see this run again tonight I would be there!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £19.90 to £56.40 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Blood Brothers is at Milton Keynes Theatre from 2-7 October 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes or call the box office on 0844 8717652.
Milton Keynes Theatre, 500 Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK9 3NZ
