Digital Editor Tamzin Meyer reviews Blood Brothers and is moved by its portrayal of a working-class reality which is unfortunately still as relevant today as it was 40 years ago
Content Warning: This article contains themes of poverty and wealth inequality.
The long-running Willy Russell musical, Blood Brothers, made its way to Birmingham Hippodrome (2nd November) and continued its legacy as one of the best musicals to grace the stage. There are few musicals that have the ability to gain a standing ovation almost forty years after first being written, but with the convincing portrayal of an all too familiar story that sadly reflects on the reality of the modern world just as much as it did back in the ’80s, Blood Brothers remains as relevant as ever. The juxtaposition of the carefree, naive days of youth and the draining reality of a working-class adult meant that there was not a dry eye in the house
For this performance, Alexander Patmore gave a compelling performance as Mickey Johnstone whilst Andy Owens wowed us with his interpretation of Eddie Lyons. Both actors told the tear-jerking story of two twins, separated at birth, who grew up to be met with an unfortunate fate. Their performances of the twins as children were met with vibrant humour and lightheartedness that had the audience laughing at all the right moments, with Mickey’s ‘I’m nearly eight’ monologue being particularly comical; their transformation into adulthood not only demonstrated the flexibility of the actors to adapt to any role but also conveyed the ultimate tragedy of the brothers to perfection. The juxtaposition of the carefree, naive days of youth and the draining reality of a working-class adult meant that there was not a dry eye in the house. In some moments, the musical was a difficult watch as we watched the characters we had grown to love, gradually slip away into a life of poverty, crime and mental illness.
The dark themes depicted in Blood Brothers are a sad reflection of modern-day life. We would like to think that society would have progressed since the musical was written, yet we still see members of the working class struggle to make ends meet much like Mrs Johnstone. We still experience those in poverty turning to crime due to the unfortunate circumstances they were born into. We still experience a welfare system that does not do enough to protect our most vulnerable due to a divide in which the rich will never truly understand the extent to which the poor struggle just to get through the day. We still experience a welfare system that does not do enough to protect our most vulnerable due to a divide in which the rich will never truly understand the extent to which the poor struggle just to get through the day
Of course, this could not be a Blood Brothers review without mentioning the legendary Lyn Paul who has played Mrs Johnstone for over twenty years. Paul truly is the heart and soul of the production and, as she embarks on her last tour, will be greatly missed. Her renditions of ‘Marilyn Monroe’ and ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’ were heart-wrenching, making for phenomenal performances that truly encapsulated the idea of Mrs Johnstone being a struggling, working-class single mother. The audience could tell just how much the role meant to the actress who was still in character, overcome with emotion right up until the curtains closed.
There was not a dry eye in the house by the end of the musical; even though the audience was made aware of the brothers’ fate at the very start of the production, the ending still managed to shock and upset us as if we were completely oblivious to the outcome. Blood Brothers is far more than a form of entertainment, it is a piece of social criticism that will forever be of relevance.
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