the people and the amenities that they had known before, and the support network
that existed all but vanished. Uprooting people can cause stress and depression.
One of the playwright’s aims is to show us that there are disadvantages to being
poor and working class. The failure to succeed in life is not because of a lack of
ability, but a lack of opportunity. This can clearly be seen in Edward and Mickey.
We must ask ourselves whether this is still true in the 21st century.
‘Blood Brothers’: An Overview
Blood Brothers is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Willy Russell. The
story is a contemporary nature versus nurture plot, revolving around fraternal
twins Mickey and Eddie, who were separated at birth, one subsequently
being raised in a wealthy family, the other in a poor family.
The different environments take the twins to opposite ends of the social
spectrum, one becoming a councillor, and the other unemployed and in
prison. They both fall in love with the same girl, causing a rift in their friendship
and leading to the tragic death of both brothers. Russell says that his work was
based on a one-act play that he read as a child "about two babies switched at birth
... it became the seed for Blood Brothers."
Originally developed as a school play, ‘Blood Brothers’ debuted in Liverpool
before Russell transferred it to West End for a short run in 1983. The musical
won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and went on to a yearlong
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 revival ran for more than 24 years in the West End, and played more
than 10,000 performances, becoming the third longest- running musical
production in West End history. It finally closed in November 2012. The
musical has been produced with success on tour, on Broadway and elsewhere,
and it has developed a cult following. ‘Blood Brothers’ has a two week run at the
Bord Gáis, Dublin in February 2020 and it usually comes to Dublin every two years
for a limited run which sells out quickly.
What is a Blood Brother?
• Friend
• Companion
• Soul mate
• Family
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