It is not hard to see why is has proved so popular. Loosely based on The Corsican Brothers, a novella by Dumas père, Blood Brothers has a universal theme, interesting characters and a well-crafted script. And with John Senczuk and his players at the Metcalfe, it‘s in safe hands.
Blood Brothers is the best of several very good things to come out of the Metcalfe Playhouse since its mid-year opening. Cast members blend into a wonderfully homogeneous team, costumes and sets work beautifully and the music, provided by a talented ensemble led by Jangoo Chakhana, is well performed.
The acting is superb. As might be expected, Amanda Muggleton has added another Willy Russell gong to her accolades, following her success in his smash hits, Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine. Her portrayal of the harried Mrs Johnstone moves us from laughter to tears and back, over and over again. Supporting her is Ian Toyne as the Narrator, a difficult part because the player must be on stage almost the whole time, and is, in fact, the lynchpin of the entire show. He must frequently shift from being a largely unobtrusive yet somewhat sinister presence to playing a succession of smaller parts – a milkman, a policeman, an interviewer and more, taking on accents and dropping them, sometimes several times a scene. Speaking of accents, the entire cast is to be commended on as good a mastery of a light Scouse dialect as can be found outside Liverpool.
Simon Thompson and Nick Maclaine as Mickey and Eddie, the twins separated at birth, demonstrated a sympathetic connection that lent their roles genuine depth and credibility, while Sarah McNeill convincingly played Eddie’s adoptive mother, Mrs Lyons, as a neurotic, manipulative woman who nevertheless gained audience sympathy because of her great longing to have a child. McNeill and Muggleton proved excellent foils for each other, character-wise, and at times the chemistry of contrasts between them was almost palpable.
From a superficial aura of light-heartedness in the opening scene to genuine depths of desolation in the last, the plot has something of the essence of a Greek tragedy in its inexorable march to the inevitable denouement, reinforced by the use of the narrator and supporting chorus. The script has, I feel, one failing. Russell tells us within five minutes of the opening that the twins must both die, which somehow makes the entire first act into little more than a set-up for the searing tragedy of act II. We immediately realise the significance of the huge pictures of Marilyn Monroe and frequent allusions to her, especially by Mrs Johnstone, Muggelton’s character. We not only know the twins must die; the Marilyn references tell us that their fate is because at least one of them will misuse prescription drugs and will be hard put to overcome his lowly origins. If we were not told of the twins’ impending doom, all these factors would have unfolded gradually, awakening our understanding bit by bit, which would have raised the tension in Act I. Furthermore, the music, while highly appropriate and well-integrated into the plot, is eminently forgettable. Its ‘Marilyn Monroe’ theme is quite catchy, but there is no one big musical number to make its way to the concert platform or recording studio.
But these perceived shortcomings have not stopped audiences from trooping to see Blood Brothers for the last 30 years. Its criticism of the class system and its demonstration of the hopelessness of those born into an almost unemployable underclass – the Western equivalent of Untouchables – paint a picture that needs to be reproduced as much now as in the time of Dumas, a good century and a half ago. I would further suggest that you are unlikely to see a better production than this one anywhere in the world. It runs until 4 December: if you’re in Perth get yourself down to the Metcalfe Playhouse and see it.
Rating: 4 stars
IAJ International presents
Blood Brothers
Director: John Senczuk
Musical Director: Jangoo Chapkhana
Choreography: Anna Tsirigotis
Cast: Garreth Bradshaw, Maree cole, Julia Hern, Tyler Jones, Nick Maclaine, Richard Mellick, Charles McComb, Sarah McNeill, Amanda Muggleton, Simon Thompson, Ian Toyne
Metcalfe Playhouse, Perth
November 11-December 4
