Johnstone and Mickey

Vivienne Carlyle as Mrs Johnstone and Sean Jones as Mickey. Pictures: Jack Merriman

Blood Brothers

Wolverhampton Grand

*****

Willie Russell’s fabled musical sparkles like new in this latest superb production chronicling the tale of the Johnstone twins . . . as like each other as two new pins, and how one was kept and one given away, how they were born, and they died on the self same day.

High-tech lighting has added to the dramatic effect, bits that were starting to look faded or dull have been given an extra bit of polish with tweaks here and there and a seasoned cast have filled the stage with life and emotion. Many are returnees, almost as if they have been captured by some secret siren’s call.

One such as Sean Jones who rose from understudy in 1999 to Mickey in 2001 and in 24 years, on and off since, must have played the role several thousand times and, if we are honest, it would be hard to imagine Blood Brothers without him. He is Mickey.

It is not easy for adults to play children successfully, yet he manages it convincingly and his transformation into the drug addled, depressed, defeated, and desperate adult Mickey is mesmerising.

Vivienne Carlyle, another returnee, provides an always cheerful, optimistic Mrs Johnstone, cheerful except the moment she has to give up one of her twins to fulfil a bargain sworn on a bible and endorsed by superstition. Her permanent optimism is a defence against the grinding poverty bringing up her nine . . . no, one was given away remember . . . eight children on a cleaner’s wage.

Carlyle has a lovely voice with some of the best songs in the show including the emotive Tell Me it’s not true, and perhaps the most telling and accomplished, Light Romance, which turns into a duet with Sean Keany’s narrator.

Keany brings a new aspect to the role of narrator with his gentle Irish lilt instead of a more usual native Liverpool accent for the role. He also brings a fine voice, which you might expect from the lead singer of the Irish culture music and dance show Dúlamán: Voice of the Celts. His narration is authoritive but at times is also sinister setting a mood or giving moments of warning of troubles to come once, as he puts it, the devil’s got your number.

Eddie is the twin given away into a life of luxury where wants never went unfilled and Joe Sleight, back in a role he first played a decade ago, manages to create a convincing transition from awkward posh kid with absolutely no need to be streetwise in his tree lined neck of the woods, to become best friends with Mickey at the rough end of town, finally finding himself as a student and then becoming a successful councillor.

He is the foil for Mickey, the one twin with it all, the one with nothing . . . nothing, except for Linda. Gemma Brodrick, who once played Mickey’s sister Donna Marie, is now his girlfriend and  becomes his loving wife Linda. 

Their on off relationship in the always sunny days at school hits the buffers hard with marriage as adults with prospects that can be said to be modest at best, and that was before Mickey lost his job. Brodrick’s silly schoolgirl comes into her own as the troubled wife, losing her husband to jail before her child is born, and then getting him back as a mental wreck.

trio

Joe Sleigh as Eddie, Gemma Brodrick as Linda and Sean Jones as Mickey

Another mental wreck is Mrs Lyons, beautifully played by Sarah Jane Buckley, who has not only played the role in the past but has also played Mrs Johnstone. She is well known in the West Midlands having passed though on many a national tour as well as appearing in the heyday of Lichfield Garrick Rep productions in plays such as John Godber’s poignant September in The Rain.

She shows her scheming side to persuade Mrs Johnstone to give up a twin, then in a mix of guilt, self imposed superstition, fear of being exposed, protecting what is not really hers . . . who knows what demons tormented her . . . we see her descend into paranoia, a madness that holds the seed of a fatal final act of betrayal, the catalyst to the inevitable finale.

Then there is Sammy, Mickey’s older brother with a plate in his head barely holding in the anger and rage as boyhood turns to manhood in the hands of James Ledsham. We never did hear what happened to him for his part in the robbery that went wrong, the one that ended Mickey’s life for the promise of £50.

Then there is Tim Churchill back as Mr Lyons, and as resident director. His Mr Lyons takes the line of least resistance with his wife, and work seems to dominate rather than merely maintain family life.

His factory and its success, or failure, is life and . . . . not so much death as dole for its workforce which brings in Chloe Pole as secretary Miss Jones taking dictation for the letters of redundancy and she also pops up as well as Donna Marie, with three kids of her own come the second act.

Alex Harland appears as a policemen and two teachers, one posh, one comp, Graeme Kinniburgh is a postman, when he is not working on the buses, with Cameron Patmore, Dominic Gore and Jess Smith filling in as children, neighbours, friends and the rest of the population of Liverpool.

The musical first opened in 1983 and the real tragedy of the story is that 42 years on it is still relevant, still contemporary. All right, we may no longer have Giros, but many of the social issues of then are still the social issues of today, which is perhaps part of its popularity. It echoes a world we can recognise.

Music is a big part of Blood Brothers and the excellent seven piece band under Matt Malone do a fine job, sounding far bigger than their number, with a special mention for James Barber for some wonderful guitar work,

Blood Brothers is a guilty pleasure, a show I have seen often enough to prompt if needed, and this new production is one of the best, giving a lift and new life to what has become an old friend.

Directed by Bob Tomson, designed by Andy Walmsley and with an always telling lighting plot from Nick Richings Blood Brothers runs at the Grand to 25-01-25. 

Roger Clarke

21-01-25 

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