Sydney production photo of Blood Brothers; Photo Kurt Sneddon
Blood Brothers is a funny musical. It’s not funny ‘ha-ha’ but it’s kind of strange. A modest, highly dramatic, almost fable-like piece set in working class Liverpool in the 1960’s and 70’s, the story follows struggling single mother Mrs. Johnstone who gives away one of her twin boys so he can avoid a life of poverty. As the boys grow they develop a close friendship that threatens to expose the secrets of the past and ultimately destroy their lives. The show begins and ends with the bodies of the deceased brothers lying on stage, so needless to say it does not end well.
Blood Brothers is interesting because it emerged out of the British music theatre scene of the early 1980’s; this was the dawn of the mega musical phenomenon that would take over the world with shows such as Cats, Starlight Express and Les Misérables. However instead of prancing cats and roller-skating trains, audiences watched the lives of ordinary everyday people up on stage, struggling to pay the rent, hold down a job and raise children. These characters accents were thick, they cursed like sailors and explosive violence was never far from their lives. The original production must have been quite provocative back in the day and it went on to become the third longest-running show in West End history, racking up over 10,000 performances.
This new Australian production originated at the Hayes Theatre in Sydney where it enjoyed a sold out extended run and it’s easy to understand why. This intimate and polished production boasts a sensational professional cast of performers and packs a massive emotional punch. Helen Dallimore leads the company as the tragic Mrs. Johnstone with a successful combination of emotional gravitas and down-to-earth honesty. The troubled twin Mickey is played by Bobby Fox and his performance is simply remarkable. His grasp of the language and portrayal of this sympathetic character’s journey is spot on; it’s absolutely heart breaking. Josh Piterman is great as the more preppy of the two twins Edward, instilling the role with the requisite amount of foppish charm and singing the material with a handsome legit tenor. As Linda, the romantic center of the main love triangle, Christy Sullivan is an absolute knockout. Her transformation from charming tomboy child to strong woman becomes the heart and soul of this production.
As a piece of theatre Blood Brothers has not aged well. The themes of class, sacrifice and friendship are still relevant and universal, but the presentation of the story can sometimes come across as a bit cheesy. Willy Russell’s book is almost perfect, presenting the dramatic narrative in an economical, emotionally raw and honest way. The songs don’t work as well; they appear too intermittently and constant reprises of both Mrs. Johnstone’s ‘Marilyn Monroe’ and The Narrator’s ‘Shoes Upon the Table’ come off as ineffective and lazy. In fact the role of The Narrator is the main problem. Michael Cormick’s performance is fine, but the character’s presence becomes grating; a few opening night audience members began to laugh as the character continued to constantly interrupt the action by appearing in a puff of smoke and eerie lighting to offer yet another ominous warning (in rhyme) of the tragedy to come. Also, after being the central character in act one, Mrs. Johnstone’s story takes a backseat in the second half of the show which creates an imbalance within the plot. It makes you think that maybe the show would work better as a play rather than a musical.
Andrew Pole’s production is staged brilliantly. Focus is clear throughout, ably assisted by Christopher Page’s lighting and Anna Gardiner’s foldout style set design, and he coaxes wonderful performances out of every cast member. Kellie Dickerson leads the small band through the score admirably, however perhaps an updating of the orchestrations could have helped avoid the somewhat dated nature of the show as a whole.
Blood Brothers can be somewhat hokey but it still draws you in and there is no denying the power of the finale. Even though we know what’s going to happen the final scene and following power-ballad ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’ are so affective that it ensures there will not be a dry eye in the house. Pack your tissues!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blood Brothers
Book, Music and Lyrics by Willy Russell
Director Andrew Pole
Producer Enda Markey
Cast Helen Dallimore, Bobby Fox, Josh Piterman, Michael Cormick, Bronwyn Mulcahy, Christy Sullivan, Jamie Kristian, Matt Edwards and Erin James
Alex Theatre, St. Kilda
July 16 – August 2
