Blood Brothers returned to the Leeds Grand Theatre last week to coincide with its 29th anniversary. A musical which many will associate with reading the original text at GCSE, or perhaps having seen it on a school trip, Blood Brothers has managed to remain successful and largely unchanged for many years – and after this flawless performance, its clear to see just how this story about twins separated at birth hits all the notes of a classic piece of musical theatre. With the perfect combination of humour and laughter, Blood Brothers finished to an all-house standing ovation.
The cast for this production was brought together from a range of experiences and associations with Blood Brothers. Audience favourites, Lyn Paul and Sarah Hay reprised their roles as Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons. Throughout the show, both actresses skilfully portrayed their roles as though it were their very first opening night. At first I wondered whether their 20 or so years’ experience playing these characters may have hindered the plausibility of their roles due to their playing age, but I was soon swayed otherwise as it became clear that part of the charm of Willy Russel’s Blood Brothers was how the cast were able to seamlessly change their acting ages throughout. Particular highlights are owed to Blood Brothers alumni, Sean Jeans who played rogue twin, Mickey. Jeans, alongside the other cast members who gleefully portrayed the younger children and neighbours of Mickeys, masterfully captured the cheeky and energetic lives of our younger selves.
Blood Brothers has remained relatively unchanged throughout its time and it was refreshing to watch a show which had a respectable balance of song and dialogue. The show flew by and managed to cover a lot of detail. Its first act largely focussed on the twins’ younger lives which did mean that its second act felt more rushed towards its climax. The show’s overture was honest and simple and showed the audiences what to expect, yet this didn’t hinder any moments of drama or emotion and in fact heightened the drama on stage as the cast triumphantly sang along to tell me it’s not true.
Joel Benedict portrayed Eddie (the more fortunate twin) in his debut on Blood Brothers. His innocence and posh manner was enjoyable to watch and his portrayal of the character was genuine throughout. The shows use of dramatic devices such as suspenseful music throughout some dialogue worked well yet could have been awkward were it not performed with high levels of energy or commitment which all members of the ensemble excelled at.
It’s warming to see how a production such as Blood Brothers can stand the test of 29 years. Its plot is simple to follow and relies not on high-tech scene changes – in fact, a highlight was how cast members changed the scenery and props before the audience’s eyes without drawing any attention away from the action on stage.
Here’s to the next 29 years!
Mark McDougall
Image courtesy of Leeds Grand Theatre