Theatre Royal Nottingham – until Saturday 15 July 2023
Reviewed by Amy Coulson
4****
The dawn breaks over a Liverpudlian skyline, where a cobbled street is slowly revealed.
Mrs Johnstone (played by Niki Colwell Evans) is the mother to several children, seven in fact. Fearing that some of the children will have to go into care after her husband leaves her pregnant for the sixth time and runs off with a younger woman, Mrs Johnstone agrees to give away one of her unborn twins to her employer, Mrs Lyon (played by Paula Tappenden). The Lyon’s have been trying for a child and whilst he’s away for several months his wife persuades the pregnant housekeeper to part with one of her babies, promising to look after him and that they will stay in touch. Once the twins are born, this promise is short lived. Mrs Lyon becomes paranoid about Mrs J and the child and so fires her, leaving her poverty stricken once more. As the twins grow older their lives become entangled but still, they do not know they are actual brothers. As friends, they declare themselves blood brothers, the very best of friends. A tale of nature versus nurture lies at the heart of this simple but epic story.
The show has been running since the early 1980s. Very early on, winning two Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Writer, Willy Russell says “people see it more than once, and one of those reasons is that it is a musical with a strong book, it has got a tale to tell.” This reviewer is a little ashamed to say they weren’t familiar with the story and found the musical numbers beautiful, but random…
The cast is exceptional. Danny Whitehead plays the Narrator, who lurks in shadows throughout, stepping out to accompany other characters in song or to tell the audience what’s happening, although that was in riddles, so not too helpful! Sean Jones as Mickey and Joe Sleight as Eddie, the Blood Brothers, were hilarious and loveable. Their ability, as older men, to play seven-year-olds was bizarre but they had perfected mannerisms and accents wonderfully. The audience lapped up playful scenes of imaginary horses and laughed at outrageous learnings about swearing. This reviewer nearly spilt her drink at Eddie’s misunderstanding of the F word! Niki Colwell Evans as Mrs Johnstone was outstanding too, with her captivating Liverpudlian accent and stunning singing voice. I could list all the actors that were fabulous, but we’d be here all day!
Whilst confused by the production; is it a musical? Is it not? This reviewer laughed, laughed again, and cried along with everyone else. The production was very well received by this Nottingham audience, with a standing ovation and whoops of delight. Willy Russell was right, there were clearly fans here, with many explaining to others how many times they’d seen it and excitedly comparing notes as we shuffled out the theatre.
Overall, it didn’t matter if it was a musical or not, it made for a very enjoyable evening out!