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Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers

Lyn Paul is on her last outing as Willy Russell’s Mrs Johnstone after first taking on the role in The West End in 1997. Moreover, this week’s run at Woking’s New Victoria Theatre is the last week of the musical’s UK – and Lyn Paul’s farewell tour. To be honest, at 72 years old, COVID or no COVID, she’s lucky to be taking part in her farewell tour, and this casting is the reason for the show not being awarded the full five stars. I know she’s a Blood Brothers ‘legend’ and knows the show inside out but when the young Mrs Johnstone kicks the show off – in a seemingly constant state of pregnancy, the fact that she is now the age of an elderly grandparent cannot realistically be ignored. I’ve seen Lindsay Hateley and Melanie Chisolm (the ex-Spice Girl) play the role; they were both much more suited, age-wise to take on the young Liverpudlian mother.

That said, The ex-New Seeker (I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing) is quite brilliant in the role. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Blood Brothers is about Mrs Johnstone who gives one of her twin babies away to Mrs Lyons – her well-off employer who has discovered she and her husband cannot have children themselves. Hence, Mickey Johnstone and Eddie Lyons grow up apart until fate brings them together… twice. SPOILER ALLERT! – Things don’t end well for the two brothers.

Willy Russell’s iconic musical, loosely adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ The Corsican Brothers (1844) has been critically hailed alongside his other two masterpieces, Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine. The musical content of Blood Brothers is quite brilliant, reprising its tunes throughout. Highlights includes the iconic Marilyn Monroe, Bright New Day, Shoes Upon the Table and the celebrated Tell Me it’s Not True. All the numbers don’t seem to overtake the story and are nicely integrated into the plot.

Russell’s other masterstroke is through the use of a Narrator who comes and goes speaking rhyme throughout. To that end Robbie Scotcher has returned to the role that he excelled in over past years, and makes an imposing figure. I saw Wet Wet Wet’s Marti Pellow play the narrator five years ago but Scotcher has really nailed this part. Elsewhere, as the twins, Alex Patmore (Mickey) and Joel Benedict (Eddie) also give a fine account of the brothers both growing up – Dennis Potter style – and as their eighteen-year-old versions.

Paula Tappenden is delighfully posh as the unhinged Mrs Lyons, Danielle Corlass makes a very pretty Linda and Tim Churchill plays some funny multiple roles including Mr Lyons, the Milkman and Mrs Johnstone’s gynecologist. There are several other multi-role performances going on such as Matt Slack’s two Teachers and a Policeman and Danny Taylor returns to the familiar role as Mickey’s idolised elder brother, Sammy.

It’s powerful stuff and emotionally charged. The show’s climactic final scene is the best I’ve ever seen.

Blood Brothers is extremely popular with amateur companies in usually the non-musical version but when this tour finally ends perhaps we’ll see some amateur productions of the musical.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

The Magical Musical… and magical it was!

Based on the much-loved Disney film ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’, this musical features the original music from The Sherman Brothers and new songs and music by Neil Bartram.

The opening scenes see us thrown into the midst of WW2 London, and we travel to the countryside with the three young Rawlins children as they are evacuated to live with the mysterious Miss Price. The ensemble seamlessly move the set around the children reflecting how young evacuees were very much ‘lifted’ and ‘passed’ from their homes to the countryside, their world picked up and spinning around them. However, as we are set down in Pepperinge Eye and the children await the arrival of the illustrious Miss Price, Aidan Oti (as Paul), Sapphire Hagon (as Carrie) and Conor O’Hara (as Charlie) bring childhood innocence, humour and joy to the stage as they envisage a brave and kind adventurer, older brother Charlie teasing his siblings that Miss Price will be a witch.

Dianne Pilkington commands the stage from her very first entrance and we immediately warm to Miss Price and her naïve efforts to engage with the children. Once again, the set is cleverly manoeuvred by the cast as wheels and side cart panels appear and form Miss Price’s infamous motorcycle.

It is at Miss Price’s house however, that the magic really begins. We are intrigued by how Miss Price is actually able to ‘fly’ across the stage on her broomstick, and then impressed as she transforms young Charlie into a rabbit using a spell. Stage craft cleverly conceals Charlie’s disappearance with the replacement of a puppet rabbit, bringing laughs throughout the auditorium.

The magic continues as Miss Price reveals her identity as a trainee witch to the children and, drawing them into her secrets, she attempts to travel by bed to London to meet Mr Browne. And we are not disappointed…fly the bed quite literally does! The audience are dazzled as Miss Price and the children travel through the clouds and over the streets of London, no hints or contraptions revealed that give away the secrets of its success!

The Portobello Road street scene is busy and bustling, the cast dressed in elaborate costumes, weaving their street carts in between each other so that there is always something that draws the eye – this scene really captures the heart of London. The cast then use puppets to create the underwater ‘Beautiful Briny Sea’ scene and to create comedy through the lion king of Nepeepo and his trusty servants.

Later, back in Pepperinge Eye, Miss Price, now along with Mr Browne and the children, tries to use magic to bring armour and clothes to life so they can be sent into war, the invasion fast approaching their home. With their shared belief in magic and their love for each other, they slowly see items, one by one, moving to the beat of the ‘Substitutiary Locomotion’ spell. Before long, the stage is alive with dresses and shirts and scarves dancing, being swept across the stage by the ensemble.

This show is full of energy, magic and love. We see a wonderful balance of humour, sincerity and vulnerability from Dianne Pilkington as she finally finds love in Mr Browne and a family in the children and Charles Brunton captures the eccentric, yet loving, character of Emelius Browne.

An evening of fun, humour and of course…magic!

  • : admin
  • : 22/09/2021
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