Blood Brothers
Theatre Royal Windsor
Until January 29
01753 853888
Theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk
Blood Brothers, the acclaimed musical depicting societal differences in 1960’s Liverpool, opened to a packed house in Windsor on Friday, January 14.
As the house lights slowly went down the band set the scene with a sombre overture, against an evocative, bloodstained backdrop.
The musical tells the story of Mickey (Sean Jones) and Eddie (Joel Benedict), twins separated at birth – one child given away as the mother had too many mouths to feed.
Eddie is brought up by a wealthy family with the accompanying privileges and opportunities, while Mickey, the youngest of seven siblings, hangs around on street corners getting up to mischief.
Despite a hard-working and loving single mother (Mrs Johnstone, played by X-Factor star Niki Evans), the challenges of growing up with poverty and deprivation are clearly portrayed.
The boys meet by chance when they are seven – nearly eight – and, discovering they share a birthday, decide to become ‘blood brothers.’
Despite not being a typical feel-good musical, Blood Brothers contains some incredible songs, from That Guy, where Mickey and Eddie reflect on the differences between them, both physically and socially, to the well-known Tell Me It’s Not True, where Mrs Johnstone laments the way life has turned out for her children.
Containing some hard-hitting scenes including fighting, knife and gun crime, drug-taking and more, this is not a show for young children and at times provides uncomfortable viewing.
However, the juxtaposition of lighter scenes – such as where the seven-year-old characters are played by their adult actors to great comic effect, relieve the tension of the heavier parts of the story.
The audience, clearly moved by the story that had been so skilfully and convincingly told, gave the company a standing ovation. There will be sure to be many more before the run at Windsor ends on Saturday, January 29.
JUDITH CREIGHTON
