Blood Brothers, the acclaimed musical by Liverpudlian playwright Willy Russel, first graced the stage in 1983. Now, more than 40 years later, it is being been brought to life once again by the Amsterdam-based Theatre Company Happily Ever After Productions. I went to the Amsterdams Theaterhuis for the premiere of director Sara Watts’ take on the tragic tale. It was my first time seeing Blood Brothers and, overall, I found her rendition to be a nice, light-hearted introduction which seemed to focus more on the comedy side of the musical rather than the tragedy.
The play turned musical takes place in Liverpool in the late 1950s after Mrs. Johnstone (Elyse O’Shaughnessey), a struggling mother, falls pregnant for the seventh time. Overwhelmed by her many children and without the means to care for them properly, she gives one of her new-born twins to her wealthy, childless employer Mrs. Lyons (Britt Davis). It is a contemporary comedy-tragedy that explores the nature vs nurture debate through fraternal twins, Mickey (Charlie Bird), who is raised in poverty and Edward (M. Monterio) who lives a life of care-free luxury. Fate draws them together as best friends, but social divides and love for the same woman slowly poison their connection, eventually leading to their demise.
O’Shaughnessey is a fantastic Mrs. Johnstone who didn’t express any vocal limitations in her singing and I felt so repulsed by the nastiness that Davis as Mrs. Lyons was able to exude that I simply hated her at times. Bird and Monterio played their respective parts well, too. Bird’s performance as he descended into depression by the end of the play was haunting and Monteiro’s performance as a well-to-do young man, faultless. The Narrator (Phillipe Bernay) managed to move the play along with an air of confidence and elicited a lot of hearty laughter throughout.
Each character showcased their versatility as actors and singers as they performed hit songs like Marilyn Monroe, Tell Me It’s Not True, Shoes Upon The Table and I’m Not Saying A Word though, unfortunately, the band ended up drowning out some of the singers words. With that being said, the five person band were good, just a little loud every now and then. The set and lighting were effective in showcasing 1950s Liverpool and used to the best of its ability. I will say, there were times where I felt that the scenes were dragged on a bit but once the music began again, that was quickly forgotten.
Blood Brothers by Happily Every After Productions runs until the 9th of September. This show won’t stun the speech out of you, nevertheless, it does offer a good laugh. Eva Lakeman 6th September 2024
Photo by Cheryl Hart Photography
