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Coming of age to a musical
Birmingham Hippodrome ***** There are some shows that
you become aware of without realising it, one hears of them almost by a
form of osmosis. You hear the names regularly slipped into
conversations to the point that when you do go and see them, they seem
oddly familiar to you; like an old friend that you see in the street but
can't quite place. Blood Brothers is one of those shows. For some reason I distinctly remember the first time I had heard of it. Niki Evans as Mrs Johnstone with her son Mickey played by Sean Jones It was the first week of university, longer ago than
I care to think about, and during one of the many exchanges where people
were trying to appear considerably more cultured than they would, after
another year and many pints, turn out to be. And yet on this occasion for a brief second amongst the pseudo-intellectual witterings of other people I was struck by the passion with which my soon to be new friend talked of the show, as though he was himself invested in it. I continued to hear of the show now and again as
it relentlessly toured but, it was only last night, as it celebrates its
25th year, that I realised why he felt that way. Willy Russell's Blood Brothers is a powerful
play or should I say musical. So often with musicals the
dialogue stops and starts to accommodate the contrived songs, making the
piece clunky and awkward. With Blood Brothers the songs are so well
fitted to the piece and the dialogue so sharp you almost forget that
they are set to music. The set changes are slick and use the actors to great
effect to give a good pace to the piece. It is a fast moving show
and yet there are moments where time seems to stop as emotional
moments are played out with a deftness of touch and sensitivity that is
as powerful as it is unexpected. The story revolves around two brothers and the kismet
that both separates and bonds them forever. As is a sign of things
to come the opening is gentle but powerful, a sign of things to come.
Robbie Scotcher as the narrator is omnipresent, subtly overseeing
proceedings from a variety of positions on the set, he is the conscience
of the piece and acts a an effective bridge between audience and cast,
in a commanding performance. Former X-factor contestant Niki Evans plays Mrs.
Johnstone very well, managing to portray the hopelessness of her
situation with a sensitivity and a warmth that allows the audience to
really connect and genuinely like and feel for her.
The use of the adult actors playing their child selves
is not noticeable at all such is the quality of both the acting and the
dialogue, which is salty and on occasion literally spat out such is its
realism. The scenes between the brothers Mickey and Eddie, Sean
Jones and Paul Davies respectively are touching and powerful. Indeed both actors manage to shift their portrayal
with the time-line of the piece very well, with the journey from young
scamps to full grown and ultimately troubled men, a gradual but
engrossing one. The supporting cast are also very good with Kelly-Anne
Gower, playing the pivotal role of Linda, and Graham Martin in a
succession of small but endlessly entertaining roles, standing out. Ultimately the play is about a number of things, from
the nature v nurture debate to the grip of the class system on society.
It is a true roller coaster of emotions, you will laugh and you will cry
(I'm not ashamed to admit it) and you will become more invested in it
than you thought possible;.but most importantly it will get you thinking
and that's never a bad thing. Willy Russell once said that he may not have written
the best musical ever but he's written the best last five minutes of a
musical, from last nights showing it is hard for this reviewer to
disagree. As an aside I would like to send my best wishes to the
audience member who collapsed from a suspected Angina attack and say
that the theatre staff were excellent in their handling of a difficult
situation.
Twin thoughts . . . ***** Oh brother! This stunning Willy Russell
musical is back in the Midlands with its emotional recipe of drama,
love, heartbreak and joy - not necessarily in that order. And also making a very happy return to the
theatre is Tamworth's Niki Evans, in the role of the remarkable Mrs
Johnstone who, deserted by her husband and with too many mouths to feed,
agrees to give one of her newborn twins to her employer, a childless
lady from the posh end of Liverpool. She made her theatre debut here in the part two
years ago, receiving so many acclaimed reviews she was transferred to
the West End version by producer Bill Kenwright. Niki is perfect as mother-of-seven Mrs Johnstone
who is warned that, should the twins ever discover what happened to them
at birth, they would both die. How she copes with all the trials and
tribulations in a working class district is amazing.
And iafter the dramatic shoot-out finale, she
sings Tell Me It's Not True with such passion there is hardly a
dry eye in the house. This is a musical that has a strong fan base.
People return again and again to see it and are never disappointed. It's not all sadness, of course. There are some
wonderfully funny moments....like when a bewigged judge is seen to get
over excited behind a white sheet when he fancies busty Mrs J during a
hearing and likens her to Marilyn Monroe. Graham Martin is brilliant as the local bobby
and teacher - especially when, in the twinkle of an eye, he switches
from a private school scene to an unruly local authority classroom. A superb performance, too, from Sean Jones as
Mickey, the twin who stays with his mum, and outstanding contributions
from Robbie Scotcher, the sinister Narrator, Paul Davies, the give-away
twin Eddie, Tracey Spencer (Mrs Lyons, who takes Eddie as her own), and
Kelly-Anne Gower, playing Linda, the local girl whose love for both
young men eventually leads to tragedy. Kelvin Towse is musical director of the show
which earns the usual standing ovations. It runs to October 23 and
shouldn't be missed. Paul Marston
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Blood
Brothers