Last night, I spent an emotional couple of hours watching Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers National Tour at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. I have seen Blood Bothers before; it’s one of my favourite shows, but my god, I forgot how much it gets under your skin.
What You Will Find Here
Blood Brothers National Tour Review 2024
“So did you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins as like each other as two new pins? Of one whom born on the self-same day, how one was kept one given away. And did you never hear how the Johnstone’s died, never knowing that they shared one name till the day they died, when the mother cried my own dear sons lie slain. And did you ever know of a mother so cruel that there is a stone in place of her heart?”
What Is Blood Brothers About?
Set in Liverpool, this epic tale tells the story of how working-class mum, Mrs Johnstone (Vivienne Carlyle), agrees, under duress and a terrible set of circumstances, to give one of her newborn twin boys to middle-class mother, Mrs Lyons (Sarah Jane Buckley), who is unable to have a child herself.
The twins Mickey (Sean Jones) and Eddie (Joe Sleight) grow up with entirely different lives—one of struggle and poverty and one of wealth and privilege. Despite the separation, they find each other and, much to the horror of their parents, become best friends. A friendship they seal with blood as they become Blood Brothers.
As Mickey and Eddie grow up, their parents do everything they can to separate the friendship. However, the brothers are drawn together like magnets; their love for each other and their natural bond is too strong to be broken down by the apparent differences in their lives and class. Even falling in love with the same girl, Linda (Gemma Brodrick)
Blood Brothers Shows The Realities Of Class Divide
Of the different opportunities children get growing up in differing social situations. It’s a gritty portrayal of working-class life and families who are doing their best. Parents working their hardest to give their families the best they can, of kids playing in the streets, growing up happy but blissfully unaware of the hardships ahead of them.
And also of professional families wanting to wrap their children up and protect them from the world, possibly to their detriment. Of those parents having the luxury of time to spend with their children to nurture and give them what they want and need. Being able to offer them opportunities that will serve them well in later life.
It Shows that Class and Circumstance Doesn’t Matter to Children
But how adulthood and the reality of life make those differences vast. Also, the limited opportunities available to some children have a significant impact on the choices they make as they grow up. Seeing that portrayed in such a way was a bitter pill to swallow.
My Review Of Blood Brothers
The set is simple; it is effective and does the job cleverly, drawing all the scenes together. But for the cast, there is no grand production to hide behind; it is all about them and the incredible score; they are faultless.
I don’t think I have ever seen a cast with such amazing chemistry. They worked as one, making the tale so believable, as the narrator (Scott Anson) expertly tied the story together. You can’t take your eyes off the stage.
Blood Brothers is not fast-moving, it has a relaxed pace, a pace that has you understanding and savouring every single act. Feeling the story to your very core.
Vivienne Carlyle’s Portrayal of Mrs Johnstone Was Stunning
Her emotion was raw and painful. It felt so real; she made you feel her pain. The pain of having to give away a child and what happens as a consequence is unimaginable.
I had never experienced a production where adults play children alongside adults playing adults before Blood Brothers. How can that work? But my god, it does, and the cast was incredible. And I found myself forgetting they were not children. Laughing huge belly laughs at the antics of Mickey, Eddie, Linda, Sammy (James Ledsham), Donna Marie (Chloe Pole) and the rest of the kids. They made the characters funny, adorable and real.
The Incredible Cast Makes The End Scene So Much Harder To Watch
Ok I am a crier, but I felt the end of Blood Brothers in my heart. I can’t stop thinking about of the hard life story Blood Brother tells. Its portrayed in the most beautiful way, but it’s heart-breaking and a must see show.
Blood Brothers should not be a GCSE option; it should be compulsory. All kids should understand the implications of hardship. It has me wanting to study English literature all over again and take notice this time around. So, thank you to the cast that took me on this incredible journey! You made me laugh, broke my heart and taught me lessons about society I never thought I would learn.
Where Can You See Blood Brothers
You can catch Blood Brothers at the Palace Theatre until 30th November with tickets from £21.50. Then at…..
- Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Tue 28 Jan – Sat 1 Feb 2025
- New Wimbledon Theatre, Tue 4 Mar – Sat 8 Mar 2025
- Liverpool Empire, Tue 11 Mar – Sat 22 Mar 2025
- Grand Opera House York, Tue 1 Apr – Sat 5 Apr 2025
Please note, I was gifted the tickets in exchange for an honest review. And you can’t argue with a hard life lesson, the incredible talent that gets you right in the heart. Also, see where to eat and park near the Palace Theatre.
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Blood Brothers was the first musical I ever saw, in Manchester with my Mum. I remember being absolutely enthralled, and I’ve seen it again since. I’m in floods the minutes she starts singing “Tell me it’s not true…!” In fact I only have to hear it on a CD track to start wobbling 🙂 Brilliant show!
Ahh! I remember Blood Brothers from home learning. My youngest did about it in English. It was really interesting and the stage show sounds fantastic too. x