1994 -
Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to see this musical but I have the CD - the cutting says that the music is not 'particularly memorable' but I don't agreee with that. I love it, especially the song "Tell me it's not true..." Have you ever heard it?

This is an article published in 'Herald Sun" - July, 1994

Play: Blood Brothers
Book, Music & Lyrics: Willy Russell
Director: Bill Kenwright/Bob Tomson
Cast: Delia Hannah, Stefan Dennis, David Soul, Elaine Smith, Ross Citwen, Tina Regtien.
Theatre: Australian premiere at The Comedy Theatre. Season to September 3.
Synopsis: Not realizing they are brothers, two men's different backgrounds combust into mutually destructive tragedy

Blood Brothers is musical theatre offering a somewhat over saccharined first half followed by a moving and memorable finale.

Many who were luke warm about the simple exuberance in the early stages of Blood Brothers sprang to their feet for a spontaneous standing ovation by the end of the first night.

Why? Writer of the lyrics and music, Willy Russell (whose other credits include Shirley Valentine and Educating Rita), has captured some unexpectedly powerful social commentary.

Although the plot can be reduced to a simple tale - a kind of contemporary Prince and the Pauper theme set to music - that reductive description does it an injustice.

There are swelling issues such as the unfairness of an English working class upbringing and the lack of comprehension of working class issues by even well-intentioned members of the English upper classes.

If you feel class is not as relevant to Australians, there are numerous sidelines such as the intensity with which some women, unable to give birth, yearn for a child.

The plot goes deeper with some powerful scenes concerning the damage that can be inflicted by a prison system that sees drugs as a solution to social problems, the pain of unemployment or the sad passing of youth.

But Russell's contribution is, of course, only a partial key to this show's allure. After all, the lyrics are very simple and the music is often arresting but not particularly memorable.

If Blood Brothers exerts a real pull on your heart strings (and you WILL likely find more than one hot tear wends its way down your cheek before the evening is out), it is in large measure due to the excellence of the performances.

Stefan Dennis as one of the twins, Mickie, creates an astonishingly convincing seven year old. His subsequent creation of the adult Mickie, whose gawkily youthful effervescence has transformed into a sadly beaten adult, is a fascinating and heart-rending achievement.

Ross Girven as his upper-middle class brother, Eddie, creates a characterisation whose otherwise unlikely attachment to Mickie is completely convincing.

Delia Hannah as their embattled working class mother, Mrs. Johnstone, is magnificent. The gutsy theatrical potency and musical excellence of her performance is perhaps the core of the show's success.

As narrator, American David Soul, although suffering from laryngitis, cuts a stylish and crisply wrought character. Tina Regtien, as the brothers' girlfriend Linda, evokes a warmth, and ultimately, a vulnerability, that contributes significantly to the show's emotional power.

Taken as a whole, you should find Blood Brothers vaults its initial limitations to provide what is, finally, a deeply moving and highly entertaining evening.