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Brothers still have powerful message
Blood Brothers Birmingham Hippodrome **** ONE can imagine that 28 years ago when
Willey Russell's first production of Blood brothers was staged in
schools around Merseyside, that it was a pretty intense and raw
experience, capturing the tragedy of two brothers against the backdrop
of class separation and social depression. It is perhaps the reason that a multitude of
schools have since staged it, as it contains enough themes of family,
teen pregnancy, violence and the workplace to build an entire curriculum
on. The play finally reached the West End 24 years
ago and when the show finally closes in November this year, its
impressive run must be hailed as something of a musical legend. However
to achieve that and to generate its mass appeal it has passed through
the West End machine and after subsequent years of tweaking , it seems
at times to have now parodied this powerful original narrative. There have been a host of stars over that time, both here and in performances across the world ,in key roles and now former Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow returns to head up the show poster. Whilst a shrewd piece of casting it seemed a
disappointment to some of his fan base who braved the ` Wet Wet ‘night
to see him. His role of The Narrator is a continually fleeting part that
never really features him and Pellow has had to abandon his once
distinctive pop vocal style for a more classical approach which doesn't
altogether suit him.
This change of style, together with his
exaggerated and melodramatic take on the vicious narrator, bordered on
unintentional comedy at some points. If this approach to the marketing led casting was
formulaic, then so too is the Bill Kenwright and Bob Tomson‘s approach
to direction. It seems almost every time that the same collection of
staging flats or furniture props appear in most of their productions and
again there were no real staging surprises here. Visually it's all
pretty predictable and you just wish there was a little more design,
thought and effort but it is obviously a case of ` if it's not broke
then don't fix it.' Niki Evans as Mrs Johnstone has become a true star of musical theatre The real staging surprise was Brummie girl Niki
Evans in the pivotal role of Mrs Johnstone. Evans, an X Factor survivor,
passed through the TV series in 2007 winning public acclaim and then
joining the West End cast in 2009, before leaving to tour her X Factor
catalogue. Even though directed to sing some of the early
songs with a Liverpudlian accent she managed to ring every emotional
twist out of what remains is a pretty uninspiring collection of songs.
The accent had thankfully gone by the end and seemed to release an even
greater intensity in her voice and she must surely be destined to be a
major player in the future of musical theatre. Sean Jones and Jordan Bird handled the roles of
the Star crossed brothers Mickey and Eddie with energy and passion even
though seeing grown men in shorts and school uniforms is still a little
hard to accept in the early scenes. What always seems to be just adequate with
Kenwright touring productions is the sound. Although the vocals were
well produced, the `in the pit ‘band was muted with cheesy 80's synth
string sounds cheapening the onstage drama. Relying too on the `in house
PA' one wonders why a more dedicated and produced sound system is not
used, after all it is a musical. Blood Brothers remains one of the most successful
UK musicals of all time and that's quite an achievement when musically
most people don't know any of the songs in quite the same way as say a
Lloyd Webber score. Its enduring quality is the classical tragedy of
two innocent children separated by class, money and education.
Thankfully, even after years in the bright lights, a long list of star
performers and the polish of the West End, that simple message still
remains and this will be the last chance for you to see it staged at
this impressive level. To 03-11-12 Jeff Grant
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