Blood Brothers

Published Monday 16 February 2004 at 13:25 by Lisa Martland

Producers of certain long-running West End musicals have pulled out the stops when marking significant anniversaries, but the tenth birthday celebration performance of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers was quite a low-key affair.

Yet perhaps this is a clue to the show’s consistent success in London, as well as in America and Australia, for it is certainly not a piece which depends on theatrical spectacle. Indeed, Blood Brothers is rare in that it is a contemporary English musical which actually chooses an English city - Liverpool during the Thatcher years - as its inspiration.

In the original 1983 production, which only ran for six months in the West End, Barbara Dickson played the lead role of Mrs Johnstone, a struggling mother who gives one of her new-born twins away. When the show returned to the capital in 1988, Kiki Dee took the part, and she has been followed here and worldwide not just by Dickson again, but also Stephanie Lawrence, Petula Clark, Carole King and Helen Reddy.

The latest recruit, Lyn Paul, also has a pop pedigree, having once been a member of the New Seekers, and though the show itself is looking a little tired, her highly emotional performance is memorable. In addition, Andy Snowden is outstanding as Mickey, relishing the opportunity to be a lad of nearly eight, and also acting his socks off when the boyish dreams fall apart. However, Mark Hutchinson, who won a Drama Desk award for his performance as the other twin, Eddie, in the original Broadway production, often looks uncomfortable on stage, as if he has grown out of the part.

Keith Burns’ Narrator is certainly intimidating, Emily-Machelle Watkins makes a sweet Linda, and David Hitchen surely deserves a mention, not least for playing the part of Mr Lyons since October 1990.

Once, much of the show seemed real and moving, now it comes over more as melodrama, but the book’s drama and com-edy, together with the bright and tuneful score, should still attract standing ovations for a while yet.

This show was reviewed prior to the website launch. A new review may be pending.