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Blood Brothers
by Willy Russell
Oxford Apollo until Saturday
7th July 2001.
Willy Russell's Blood
Brothers opened in Oxford last night to a practically full Apollo and
an enthusiastic audience. And rightly so, for this was a performance
that won't quickly be forgotten by anyone who was there. Set in Liverpool
in the 1960's, the musical tells the story of twin brothers separated
at birth, their working-class mother too poor to keep them both and
so giving one of the boys to her wealthy but childless employer, the
latter passing the baby off as her own child. Life goes on, but while
everything seems happy on the surface, the narrator brings a darker
and more sinister tone to the story, reminding the audience and the
characters that this 'unnatural' act can only end in disaster.
While this musical takes an interesting look at the class system in
England, I found myself getting more caught up in the human element
of the story, although towards the end the class issue is addressed
more directly. The cast was led by brilliant performances from Denise
Nolan as Mrs Johnstone and Philip Stewart as the Narrator, both performers
keeping up the energy and pace of the story with their brilliantly focussed
and passionate performances. Paul Crosby and Andrew Langtree, who played
the twin brothers Mickey and Eddie, were superb, managing to convincingly
play the boys from ages 7 right through to their adulthood. The whole
performance, though, was characterised by an incredibly strong and talented
cast, with committed performances by every single person on stage. This
was one of the things that struck me about the show - the energy and
passion was there all the way through, really sweeping the audience
up in the story.
Contributing to the strong cast and moving story were excellent musicians,
imaginative and very effective lighting, and a beautiful set. The whole
production was slick and polished, and yet managed to retain a rawness
and roughness, remaining true to its setting. The standing ovation and
4 curtain calls the cast got at the end were truly well-deserved. See
this if you can - it is well worth it.
Jane Silva
Monday 2 July
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