Review: BLOOD BROTHERS, The Lowry Salford - UK tour
Photo credit: Jack Merriman
Beloved by audiences for almost 40 years, Blood Brothers is a timeless classic musical by Willy Russell telling the story of the Johnstone twins, separated at birth and brought up in two different social classes. With themes of superstition and social class divides to delve into, it’s no wonder that schools continue to study Russell’s writing year after year.
Russell’s Liverpudlian story is excellently crafted, both in terms of the script and the music, as it has a fantastic mix of light-hearted comedy to contrast to the darker and more heart-breaking moments. Tension constantly builds throughout the whole show with recurring motifs to reach a climactic finale with some more comedic scenes between the kids providing a brief respite to the intense nature of the narrative. With the events of Blood Brothers taking place from the late 50s through to the early 80s, we see that the divide between social classes remains even though time progresses, and the show is still relatable to audiences across the country as it reflects the class divide that sadly still exists in 2022.
One of the topics that the show covers is mental health, more specifically depression. Whilst people experience depression in different ways, the way in which it is portrayed in the show seems to stem from a negative stereotype, potentially just an outdated representation from when it was written in the 80s now that there is more understanding and knowledge of mental health disorders in the current day and age. It’s unclear whether this portrayal comes from the playwright’s way of writing, the actor’s character choice or the directors’ vision for the show, but this small element of the show could potentially be tweaked to show a more realistic depiction of the mental illness.
The entire cast are truly brilliant, especially Niki Colwell Evans as Mrs Johnstone, Jay Worley as Eddie, and Sean Jones who has his last few performances as Mickey after playing the role on and off both on UK tours and on the West End for over twenty years. One distinct feature of Blood Brothers is the Narrator, splendidly played by Richard Munday, who is a constant unnervingly sinister presence watching over the events of the story. At times, the sound levels of the production seem a little imbalanced as there are moments where some spoken or sung lines can’t be heard over the band.
That being said, the music of Blood Brothers is sensational and is performed by the brilliant band consisting of Jordan Alexander, Ben Fletcher, Glenn Muscroft, Jon Hooper and Richard Wimpenny, who are all conducted by musical director Matt Malone. Russell’s score accompanied by Nick Richings’ lighting design creates some really powerful and striking dynamic changes throughout the show, particularly for the Narrator’s songs with the intensity of Munday’s onstage presence. Set design from Andy Walmsley is fairly simple yet brings the streets of Liverpool to life with a contrast in the rough exteriors to the inside of the Lyons’ house, as well as balconies, alcoves and windows for the Narrator to lurk, casting a metaphorical shadow over the lives of the characters.
Directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright, it is no surprise that Blood Brothers is loved by people across the world and continues to tour the UK over and over again. A fantastic cast, band and creative team, Blood Brothers is a terrific production that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, and with a couple tweaks could reach perfection.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jess Dalloway
Blood Brothers plays at The Lowry until 22 October before continuing its tour, with tickets for select touring venues available here.