Blood Brothers

*
It's been running 20 years...yet I can't comprenhend why!
It's cheesey in it's appeal (yes it may be a musical but please!). It's an undoubtedly heartfelt show, to the point it felt somewhat sickening and felt extremely unbelievable. Set in 80's Liverpool, Mrs Johnstone, with the reproductive ability equal to a rabbit, has too many children and when she discovers she's expecting twins, knows she can only afford to keep one. So Mrs Lyons, a superstitious, rich woman that can't have children who Mrs Johnstone cleans for ,makes a pact with her that they'll take a child each. When these twins meet (and Mickey introduces Eddie to Linda who they both fall in love with), Mrs Lyons moves away, but not before the boys agree that they're blood brothers. Mrs Johnstone is rehoused to the same area and the three are together again. Life goes by and while things are good for Eddie, Mickey is struggling. He goes to prison and when he returns home to Linda he's depressed - Mrs Lyons tells Mickey that Linda has been seeing Mickey and he confront Eddie in the tragic ending. There was no depth to it to think about, everything on display meaning so I wasn't held by the action. I am perhaps marred by the fact I studied Blood Brothers last year so knew everything that was going to happen however. There are some good moments of comedy, but I got tired of the jokes that an upper class person like Eddie came across very camp, and that there were adults playing children for a whole act.
The Narrator (Craig Price) tells the story, a wonderfully dark presence (enhanced by creative lighting) with a rocky anthem, 'The Devil's Got Your Number' stirring the audience. However this is the only positive element I found in the show. No doubt the direction was good, the acting fine although nothing spectacular, and the choreography average. The music was so traditionally music theatre but there was nothing innovative it - any of it - it's just not good enough. Niki Evans (another reality contest reject) has a big belt as Mrs Johnstone but yet again - there is nothing individual about it! The show's curse of mediocrity, how many times do I have to stress the repetitive fact?

Veronica Grubb