Mrs. Johnstone is a single mum with seven children at home and twins on the way. Mrs. Lyons, her employer and a wealthy housewife who yearns for a child, cons Mrs. Johnstone into giving one of the twins to her. As the years pass, the boys coincidentally meet and obliviously become fast friends.
This comes much to the fear of their mothers, who make numerous attempts to extinguish the relationship, even going as far as moving away. As the boys grow, their difference in class upbringing shows, as one wrestles with poverty and the other heads towards modest success.
Written in 1983, and set across a period from the ’60s though the ’70s, Blood Brothers is a musical very much of its time. The synth-laden rock score comes off a little thin after 32 years and with no memorable numbers, while the high melodrama and use of narrator can make some parts even a little laughable. The ending is also laid right out for the audience in scene one, which doesn’t leave much room for surprise or suspense throughout.
However, where this show knocks the audience out is its cast, which holds the play together spectacularly well. Impeccably utilised, many of the nine cast members play multiple characters throughout. Michael Cormick is solidly sinister as the narrator, adding a smoothness to the character who bears most of the melodrama. Bobby Fox and Blake Bowden are delightful as young Mickey and Edward respectively, both going on to fill their roles excellently as grown-ups in Act Two. Helen Dallimore is the glue, however, as Mrs. Johnstone, taking the audience through a range of emotions and grit while still letting us fall in love with her wit and charm.
The sets are sufficiently bleak and make creative use of the space, while the lighting perhaps adds a little too much to the melodrama. Act Two might be a little too rushed, covering over a decade in quick time, but thanks to its spectacular acting this is a solid show for the avid fan of musicals.
4/5 stars
Image: Kurt Sneddon
Blood Brothers is playing at Hayes Theatre Co until Sunday March 15.
