Blood Brothers isn't a tap shoes and feathers kind of a musical, it's a hard hitting social drama discussing the old nature vs. nurture question; by charting the lives of twin boys, separated at birth, who end up at different ends of the social spectrum. And if you don't think issues like unemployment and social inequality sound like musical fodder, or that the story won't sit well amongst the glitz and glamour of the West End, then you'd be wrong: the revival production, which opened in 1988, has been running ever since.
The outline of the tale begins with a deserted, yet pregnant wife, who's working as a cleaner for a couple who are unable to conceive their own child. When it turns out to be fraternal twins, the couple offer to raise one son as their own. The two boys manage to find each other as children, not knowing that they're brothers, and play together, but their 'mothers' drag them apart – both of them worried about the boys having too much contact. When they're a bit older, teenagers, they find each other again, both having been suspended from their respective schools – one a public boarding school and one a local comprehensive. Fast forward to a few years later as one is graduating university, and the other is on the dole with a pregnant girlfriend, and decides to take part in a robbery for which he's caught. When he comes out of prison there's more trouble in store as jealousy rears its ugly head.
Don't be hoping for an entirely happy ending, but don't think that the music will be an un-hummable dirge. It's anything but: lively and very varied, it carries the story along through the drama's highs and lows and is probably one of the main reasons people come back to Blood Brothers a second, third or fourth time.
This is a cult musical – some people see it once a month.
And just because this musical addresses serious issues, and there are songs which are never sung completely without a backing of sniffs and sobs from the audience, it doesn't mean that this isn't a funny production as well. There are plenty of moments to have a giggle at, especially those involving the younger, exuberant Mickey, the twin who remained with his mother.
One of the strongest things about this production is the way the relationships between the characters have been created, and when the acting is on form Blood Brothers is a touching evenings entertainment, as well as being a dramatic roller coaster ride.
