Willy Russell’s musical
Blood Brothers is a moving tale that has been wowing audiences since the early eighties. Set in Liverpool in the 1960s and 70s, it deals with the lives of childhood friends Mickey and Eddie. They are unaware of it, but they are in fact twins separated at birth by their struggling mother who could not afford to raise two boys. The play deals with class and the effects differing social standings can have on seemingly similar men. Eddie goes on to become an Oxbridge graduate, whilst Mickey lives a harder life on the dole and in prison. Eventually, a confrontation between the aggravated Mickey and successful Eddie leads their mother to reveal the truth.
Russell wrote the play from scratch in the 1981, originally as a school play and then transferring it into a musical in 1983 after adapting Educating Rita to the stage. Its first audiences were at the Liverpool Playhouse the same year, but it was not until 1987 that the show really took off. Up until this point, sales and reviews for the show had not been as desired and producer Bill Kenwright took it upon himself to resurrect the show and in 1988 it opened in the London. It is now one of the longest running musicals to captivate audiences in the West End.
The play opens on an unnerving scene; a dark, gloomy street in Liverpool with two men being stretchered away from an unknown incident. We soon learn that this is the end of the narrative as we rewind back in time. Mrs. Johnstone, their mother, discovers that she is pregnant with twins – bad news for a poor single parent. It seems her only option is to give one child to her employer Mrs Lyons, an upper class woman whose house Mrs Johnstone cleans. The two children become friends, only to take differing paths as their lives progress, culminating in the showdown in the dark Liverpool street and bringing us full circle. This dramatic device sets a chilling tone over the proceedings and is what makes this play so memorable and celebrated.
Russell’s play is hailed as the best musical of all time, winning four awards for best musical in London, receiving seven Tony Award nominations on Broadway and including an incredible score from Bright New Day and Marilyn Monroe. Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers should not be missed.