REVIEW

BLOOD BROTHERS

BOURNEMOUTH PAVILION

DID you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins?

Bill Kenwright’s adaptation of Willy Russell’s musical Blood Brothers definitely tugged at the audience’s heartstrings.

Set in Liverpool, with a backdrop of the famous Liver Buildings, the musical tells the story of Micky and Eddie, a set of twins separated at birth - with one subsequently being raised in a wealthy family, the other in a poor.

We follow the lives of both boys, as although they continuously intertwine, they are taken to opposite ends of the social spectrum, with one becoming a councillor and the other unemployed and in prison.

Studying Blood Brothers at my GSCEs at school (a very distant memory it would seem!), it was a piece of literature that I immediately fell in love with. And experiencing it once again live on stage at Bournemouth Pavilion, my love for Russell’s musical has not changed.

For me, Mickey (Alexander Patmore) was absolutely fantastic. Reading the play, Mickey was exactly how I had imagined him to be. He had a lot of scenes where it was up to him alone to keep the audience engaged, and I think he succeeded brilliantly in that – something that is not easy to do.

His relationship on stage with Eddie (Joel Bennefict) flowed from start to finish. Both actors were the perfect fit.

As a Scouser myself, the accents of some of the actors was little disappointing. I found it hard to connect with Mrs Johnstone (Linzi Hateley) and to Linda (Danielle Corlass) as I felt their impersonation of a Liverpudlian accent was far from accurate and came as a bit of a distraction to the musical.

The singing voice of Mrs Johnstone however, was absolutely amazing.

The Narrator (Robbie Scotcher ) was definitely a favourite for me. He gripped the audience immediately with Shoes Upon The Table – the repeated song becoming more and more dramatic as the musical continued. He played the ‘looming devil’ brilliantly.

The final song sung in the courtroom – Tell Me It’s Not True – didn’t leave too many dry eyes in the house and saw a standing ovation by the crowd.

This was an excellent adaptation of a truly wonderful and powerful musical.

*Blood Brothers continues at Bournemouth Pavilion tonight at 7.30pm and tomorrow at 2.30pm. See bhlivetickets.co.uk to book