Few musicals have been received with such acclaim as the multi-award-winning Blood Brothers.
Bill Kenwright’s production surpassed 10,000 performances in London’s West End, one of only three musicals ever to achieve that milestone.
The story is a modern take on the nature nurture debate, revolving around fraternal twins Mickey and Eddie, who were separated at birth. Mickey is brought up by his birth mother in a working class family, and his brother, Eddie is raised in a wealthy household.
The different environments take the twins to opposite ends of the social spectrum, one becoming a councillor, and the other unemployed and in prison.
The story then explores troubles within their romantic relationships, as both brothers fall in love with the same girl, causing a rift in their friendship and subsequently leading to their tragic death.
Russell says that his work was based on a one-act play that he read as a child about two babies switched at birth, which became the seed for Blood Brothers.
If you fancy a bit of a cry at the theatre, and there are definitely worse places to do it, I’d recommend booking in to see Blood Brothers ASAP.
The show was originally developed as a school play and had its debut in Liverpool before Russell transferred it to the West End for a short run in 1983.
The musical won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and went on to a year-long national tour before returning for a revival in the West End in 1988 where it stayed at the Albery Theatre for 3 years, transferring to the Phoenix Theatre in 1991.
The musical was huge and the revival ran for more than 27 years in the West End, playing more than 10,000 performances and becoming the third longest-running musical production in West End history!
It finally closed in November 2012, but the musical has been produced with success on tour, developing a cult following across the UK and beyond.
……………………….
Blood Brothers
Venue: Palace Theatre
Dates: Tuesday 15th – Saturday 26th February
Cost: Tickets from £13
……………………….
