In this review I am going to be discussing a performance of Willy Russell's Blood Brothers that I saw at the Phoenix theatre in London on 30th June 2006. I will begin by introducing the play, discussing its form and content.
I will then examine the acting style. Next I will evaluate how the scientific elements including Costume, Set, Props and Lighting helped to enhance the production. I will then discuss the performance, which most impressed me. I will conclude by evaluating how much this production has taught me about theatre and how it has influenced me as a drama student.
The plot involves the tale of twins, Mickey and Eddie, separated at birth. The play starts with the ending of the two twins dead, a technique used by Brecht. From the point it is all a sort of flashback as to how this happed. It starts with the twins biological mother, a pregnant Mrs Johnston who has just had her husband walk out on her on their seven children, she is struggling to make ends meet as things are and with another on the way she doesn't know how she's going to survive. She is of working class and has a cleaning job for the rich, upper class Mrs Lyons.When Mrs Lyons, who can't have children of her own finds out that Mrs Johnston is having twins, she lures the vulnerable Mrs Johnston into giving away one of them.
She does this by making up various superstitions, knowing that the superstitious Mrs Johnston will believe them. Fate and superstition is one of many themes considered in the play, this is personified in the narrator who is always reminding us of the superstitions 'new shoes on the table', and warning us of things to come.The play shows the twins at various stages in their lives as they are brought up in different backgrounds, we see how different backgrounds can influence a persons physical attributes and the way a person's character develops. This is called the nature nurture debate and is another theme that the play considers. This is clearly evident when we see the boys meet for the first time.
We see Mickey, who lives with Mrs Johnston, as a scruffy little boy with messed up hair, his brother's old clothes, which are either far too big or small, a muddy face and grazes on his legs. Then we get Eddie, the twin given away to Mrs Lyons.His hair is slick and neat, he is wearing perfect sized, expensive clothes and is doesn't have a stain or bit of mud on him. However despite all their differences we see that another main theme in the play, class, does not affect them and that all young boys, no matter what background they are from, tend to have similar interests. They both like sweets, find swear words hilarious and get great enjoyment from spitting and urinating.
When the boy's fins out their birthdays are on the same day, they decide to become blood brothers and best friends, despite both mothers disapproval.As the play continues we see the twins cross paths a number of times. Mrs Lyons moves out to the country to stay away from Mrs Johnston, but Mrs Johnston is re-located to council housing in the country. Mickey and Eddie meet again as teenagers there and despite their still obvious differences, both in appearance and mannerisms, they still have similar interests and problems that most teenage boys have.
They both worry about what they look like and both wish they had a girlfriend. We see relationships develop between Mickey, Eddie as well as Linda, the boy's childhood friend.Family, childhood and relationships are a strong theme in this play and we see this difficult love triangle develop as both boys want her, it makes it even harder as we know that Linda would happily take either of them, but Eddie stands aside and lets Mickey have her, he even helps them to finally get together just before he leaves to go for university. As adults however the twin's differences finally become a boundary. Whilst Eddie is at university having a brilliant time, Mickey can't get a job and can't bring in any money for Linda or his children.This leads Mickey into a robbery with his older brother, it ends terribly with Mickey in prison, he comes out of a prison a changed man for the worse, this shatters his life and his relationship with Linda.
Linda seeks comfort from Eddie as an old friend, which an unstable Mickey can't handle. He storms Eddie's office with a gun and the police arrive and threaten to shoot if he doesn't put the gun down. He shoots Eddie and the firing squad shoot Mickey. Proving Mrs Lyons made up superstition, if the boys ever find out they are twins, they shall both die, true.The themes in Blood Brothers are numerous. However all of them are Universal and therefore are still relevant to the audience today, it is most likely this factor that makes blood brothers so successful as anyone can relate to it in some way.
The genre of the play is musical, this allows the play to keep the audiences attention by mixing the acting with the songs, and keep things exciting. Blood Brothers has a strong mix of Comedy and Tragedy, this works well as the storyline is serious and gripping but there is some release and enjoyment in watching.It has been influenced by Brecht as it uses out of action narration and direct address to inform the audience of the ending before the action begins. Due to the direct address to the audience there are often moments when the audience are left to make up there own mind.
It is these reasons that this could be seen as a political theatre. I believe that is the entertaining acting, gripping plot and more than anything, the universal themes that have remained so relevant to lives of all backgrounds, which make this play so enjoyable and as successful as it has been for all these years.
