Southampton Mayflower – until 11 September 2021
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
4****
Willy Russell’s well known piece is brought to life once again on stage in the spectacularly talented cast members of Blood Brothers. The show sees Lyn Paul, beautifully cast as Mrs Johnstone, take the auditorium by storm as we watch her make the heart wrenching decision to give up one of her twins to ensure they have a better life.
The twins, Mickey Johnstone and Eddie Lyons, played by Alex Patmore and Joel Benedict, were brilliantly paired as they bounced off each other with such ease and excellence. We watch the twins grow up in separate worlds, but they finally come together in a heartbreaking finale and discover the truth about the other. Paula Tappenden as Mrs Lyons have a lovely performance and was able to allow the audience to feel her distress and angst at the prospect of her son finding out the truth about his real family. Along with Robbie Scotcher as the narrator, reminding us that ‘The Devil has got your Number’ had a very important role in the show, with his vast amount of stage time it was easy to see that he revelled in his role.
Along with Matt Malone’s excellent band, the perfect accompaniment to the Sterling voices within the cast, this is a show well deserving of its multiple awards.
Lyn Paul is the perfect match for Mrs Johnstone, with a beautiful singing voice that conveyed such raw emotion and passion for her craft. She really brought the house down with a wonderful rendition of ‘Tell Me it’s Not True’-one which left most of the audience in tears. She commanded the stage with a spring in her step and completely drew the audience in to her world.
If you are in and around Southampton, I would not miss this show. It is a lengthy piece, but it will take you through emotions and a real rollercoaster through life in parallels.