Blood Brother's Back With Added Spice!

There was a hint of spice to Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers when the touring production arrived at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre last week.

Former Spice Girl Melanie C returned to the role of the iconic Mrs Johnstone fresh from her massive success in the West End. Melanie leaves behind her girl band days completely with this role and award nominations for this part show that Sporty was definitely the talented member.

Melanie was delighted to reprise her role of Mrs J. for her home crowd and allowed herself a break from recording her fifth solo album.

Since the show began in 1983 the people of Liverpool have really welcomed the show as a part of their culture. It’s a spectacular show with real gritty drama and a fantastic musical score.

It is the story of the Johnstone twins, how one was kept and one was given away. And how through the twists and turns of fate the pair died on the same day. A timeless tragedy set in Liverpool that highlights the era between the 50s through to the 80s and the class divide is a very strong theme throughout.

I saw the West End show in April and this touring production was equally as brilliant. Melanie was on form, her voice really shines in the theatre. I was surprised Melanie could act, I knew she was a great singer, as I am a big fan. Her acting ability was superb, through the acting scenes and the songs you could really hear and feel the emotions that she was trying to portray through the character.

An absolutely faultless performance, and the sign of a true star is when you forget about the person playing the part and feel for the character they are playing. This is what Melanie managed with ease.

Denbigh’s Sean Jones played the part of Mickey, the twin that stayed with his mother. I have had the pleasure of seeing Sean in the touring show three times. He was amazing every time. Particularly this time around he was outstanding. When he was on stage with Paul Davies who played Eddie, the stage came alive as we witnessed the true power of Willy Russell’s writing reaching its audience.

Sean Jones as Micky with Paul Davies as Eddie

The role of Mickey is the essence of the show, from the comedy of his childhood right through to his depression when he is older. Sean plays both parts really well, the most powerful perfomance comes when Mickey is released from prison and as he hits complete despair.

My favourite song in Blood Brothers is Easy Terms, as it really sums up the entire show and also Light Romance where Melanie’s voice and acting ability came into play. I particularly enjoy the twins songs Long Sunday Afternoon and That Guy. It was thrilling to see them engage so sweetly and the acting ability on these songs from both Sean and Paul was awesome.

Special mention has to go to Robbie Scotcher the narrator, he held the show together and he made the show engaging. He had the power in his voice to really belt out his parts especially on Madman. His presence was both spooky and endearing as he tells us the story and acts as the devil throughout.

Also to Kelly-Anne Gower in the role of Linda, we could feel the chemistry between her and Sean. Again her portrayal from child to woman was faultless and incredibly entertaining. 

Willy Russell’s tale is a thoroughly enjoyable show that takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. If you can’t catch Melanie then fear not, the entire cast are phenomenal. 

Melanie sang with heartfelt emotion in the finale with Tell Me Its Not True. Her quaking voice uttered absolute heartache and had the audience in floods of tears.

Rightly so, the crowd hollered for four encores with a standing ovation throughout as the brilliant cast took their bows.

The cast taking their bow in the finale

By Scott Williams 

Twitter @ScottyWills