"Blood Brothers", 8/9/17, Glasgow King's Theatre

Bill Kenwright's perennial production of Willy Russel's Blood Brothers returns to Glasgow with Lyn Paul returning to the central role of Mrs Johnstone.

The show is a moral parable that remains surprisingly moving, despite the somewhat odd structure of the show; being made up of occasion poetry, abstract and Brechtian staging together with gritty realism, all to tell the tale of two twins separated at birth after Mrs Johnstone and the woman she works for, Mrs Lyons, strike an unusual bargain. Russel asks whether it is nature or nurture that influences the path a person can take and, whist he offers no real answers, the diverging paths of the twins makes for intriguing viewing.
Russel's compositions are easy on the ear and though there may not be a huge amount of varieties in melody, his lyrics are witty and moving in turns and he has written two of the most emotionally striking songs in "Easy Terms" and the devastating finale, "Tell Me It's Not True". In the hands (or vocal chords) of such a great singer as Lyn Paul these numbers reach new heights.

The cast feature some old favourites including Sean Jones as Mickey and Mark Hutchinson as Eddie (who I first saw in the role more than 20 years ago in London's West End) and both continue to breathe fresh life in the roles whilst the newer additions are mostly as successful, though Sarah Jane Buckley's Mrs Lyons verges more on the melodramatic than appropriate as opposed to  the Narrator of Dean Chisnell which was suitably subtle with a firm, strong voice. Danielle Corlass' Linda is also another acutely measured performance that shines.

Lyn Paul's Mrs Johnstone is an understated, yet precisely attuned acting and physical performance tightly balanced with her stirring and assured vocals. The emotional resonance in her performance is replete and her song delivery can be equally joyous and heart-breaking.

Sadly, the production is starting to show its age and could do with updating starting with the orchestrations which have occasionally been updated since the 1988 West End opening (which was itself updated from the original - non-Kenwright produced - 1982 production's orchestrations). Typically Kenwright neglects to credit the orchestrator but, regardless, the arrangements have become terribly dated and new orchestrations are in order. Also the various pieces of underscore that have also been added throughout the London run need to be examined as the number and effect is excessive in places.
The design by Andy Walmsley, itself slightly updated from the London version, is perfectly serviceable as is the lighting by Nick Richings but it is unfortunate that the performance was marred by a poor sound balance which left the cast barely audible at times whilst the volume of the band became excessive so I do hope this is rectified sooner rather than later.
The direction by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright remains effective - if safe - and I was left wondering how successful a completely new production would be if Kenwright were brave enough to pursue that avenue. But I doubt he will.

Altogether Blood Brothers remains a stirring, emotional and enjoyable production despite the various negative aspects of its aged production. Ultimately it is Russel's material and the cast that elevate the production.

"Blood Brothers", King's Theatre Glasgow, 13/11/14

This is not so much a review as an opinion on the current touring production of "Blood Brothers" as produced by Bill Kenwright. What follows is an unedited stream of consciousness, so please forgive any ramblings/repetitions etc.:


I'll say this; the show still packs a punch, as evidenced by the reaction of the near-full audience. Sadly, however, the show has also become a mere shadow of itself, as evidenced by the near-full audience whose reactions were those more typically found at a performance of a pantomime.
It's a mark of the state of the production that the weakest link amongst the cast are the two 'name' leads - Marti Pellow, whose name is emblazoned above the title on posters, stars as "The Narrator" and Maureen Nolan whose name, surprisingly, is nowhere on the poster (at least not in Glasgow) as "Mrs Johnstone".
Pellow's vocals are nothing to write home about and both the quality of his voice and his diction often make words unclear - rather detrimental considering his role - but his physical attitude is also wrong. He stalks about the stage with as much threat and grace as if ploughing through mud.
Nolan is better but her voice is unsure in the higher range causing her to be off-pitch at times whilst her acting needs more depth. considering both have performed these roles for some time now it's inexcusable.
The remainder of the cast however are much stronger, none more so than Sean Jones as "Mickey" who is the most enthralling of all onstage. He's also another regular cast member but his performance was just as strong when first I saw him a few years back. Unlike some of the other cast members his is the most un-caricatured performance.
And I think this is where the major problem of the show lies: The staging and direction have become rather tired and unforgiving. Whilst the material is still strong enough to retain power and the ability to wring emotion from an audience, the direction is failing to serve it. Staging is rather pedestrian at times and, perhaps because of the name casting od recent years, the drama comes across as a bit flabby. Given the Kenwright production is over 25 years old and I've no doubt that the show has been tweaked in various ways over the years (not necessarily for the good), including musically (orchestrations have been reduced over the years), it really is doing a disservice to Willy Russell's work and this needn't be the case - other West End long runners such as "The Phantom of the Opera" continue to work because the direction remains tights and exciting and the company and crew continue to respect the audience. It seems that everything about this production of "Blood Brothers" is self-aware and it is guilty of playing to the audience far too much, as if those behind what happens onstage barely think it worth working for a reaction - they merely expect to receive it (which, for the most part, they do).


"Blood Brothers" is not a bad musical. It can be quite good, in fact. But I think director Bob Tomson and producer (and co-director) Bill Kenwright should take a fresh look at the production.
I've nothing against long-running cast members providing they can deliver the goods (especially since given the price people pay these days for a ticket) as Sean Jones clearly exhibits but the continuing reliance (which is not needed) on 'star' names has clearly taken its toll.
Perhaps it's time to start completely from scratch - a new (leading) cast, a new set, new orchestrations (the synthesised drums are really pointless) and, perhaps, even a new director - someone who is able to direct the text with the grittiness it requires, rather than relying on uninspiring blocking.
In other words, it is time for Blood Brothers to enter the new millennium otherwise it is threatening to become an unintentional parody of what it once was.


Addendum: Another issue I have is that the orchestra, besides the musical director, went utterly un-credited in the programme something which, given it's a musical, is rather insulting to the musicians.
Sort it out, Kenwright!

'Blood Brothers', King's Theatre, Glasgow, 4/7/12

This new touring edition of a production nearing its 25^th anniversary (though the show is nearing 30) still retains the ability to awe and move with the simplest of means. Here is a show that has no spectacular set pieces to boast of but instead relies on human emotion to stir its audience. And stir it does.

Whilst Russell’s score may be thematically repetitive it is still used quite economically and is employed to great effect striking the right balance between the libretto and itself. Russell must be given his dues for crafting a piece that, all these years later, still stands up as something of an oddity in musical theatre yet is able to boast some wonderful writing on all fronts.

This touring production is led by Maureen Nolan and Marti Pellow as ‘Mrs. Johnstone’ and the ‘Narrator’ respectively. Both are seasoned  performers and Pellow plays his role especially dark impressing upon everything the sense of the inevitability of the events that unfold onstage. Nolan is credible though, as the central figure, she is not as emotionally diverse or as powerful as she could have been. And both these performers struggle at times with the Liverpudlian accent.

Far more successful are the juvenile leads. None more so than Sean Jones as ‘Mickey’, who gives a powerhouse performance in perhaps the most difficult role after ‘Mrs. Johnstone’. His performance is the most tear-jerking of the evening and is closely followed by Matthew Collyer as his twin ‘Eddie’, though that role offers less chance to show off one’s acting chops. ‘Linda’ was played to perfection by Kelly-Anne Gower who embodied everything required, and more, of the part. The company ensemble were no less effective.

The direction is straightforward and unfussy and the simple designs allow the writing and performances to resonate beyond the stage and the situations presented seem somewhat appropriate given today’s economic woes. It becomes so very easy to think ‘there, but for the grace of God … ‘

A minor quibble I have about this production, having not seen it in nearly 20 years (and then in London’s West End) is that the audience at times treated it as something akin to ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ with lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ (to the point where I feared audience participation) and with the actors onstage at times acknowledging them whilst at other times the actors performed certain lines very much ‘playing to the crowds’ as if knowingly playing for laughs. I feel the writing is strong enough that this is overkill but the sell-out audience certainly lapped it up.

And speaking of audience – people really should be more considerate: the tickets clearly say that the show began at 7.30pm and yet half the audience still left it until last minute to make their way into the auditorium and some even later than that! The effect being that the curtain didn’t go up until 7.45pm. If people cannot adhere to the announced time then I believe they have given up the right of entry and the doors should be closed and admittance granted only at the interval. And theatres should enforce such policies strictly.

Theatre etiquette is certainly declining these days. Rant over.