Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre - 12/22/05
Tuesday, December 27th, 2005 by AnniBlood Brothers, by Willy Russell, was on my list of shows to see the last time I was living in London, 6 years ago. Miraculously, it is still playing in the West End. The show is in it’s 17th year, having won it’s first Olivier Awards in 1983. I assumed a show that’s been around so long would feel stale and dated. While some of the music sounds ever so slightly 1980s-ish (synthesizers), the production itself is a timeless, brilliant, heartbreaking story. I was moved to tears. I laughed. I was riveted through every scene. I was amazed by this show.
The story begins with a lower-class woman with many, many children who’s husband has just left her. She learns she is to bear twins. On the other side of town, the rich woman she cleans house for is desperate to have a child. The poor woman agrees to give up one of her sons because she cannot afford to care for both. We learn right away that these children are doomed from birth. Forces beyond anyone’s control dictate that these boys will both enter and leave the world on the same fateful day.
The show is bleak, sad, and tragic. More so because these actors are so genius, you become deeply involved in their lives. Even though you know from the beginning that they are doomed, you grow to care for them all so much that you are still shocked and upset when bad things happen. This is a testament to the excellent writing and excellent actors. In particular, the actors playing the two brothers (especially Mickey) are incredible. They have the difficult task of playing their roles from the age of 7, all the way through adulthood. We see them grow and change, scene by scene, over the course of the play. As one child prospers, the other disintegrates. I wonder if, over the past 17 years, every cast has been this good, or if I happened to see a particularly gifted cast. Something tells me that the material is just so juicy that it can make a good actor look like a great one.
The music suits the action well. It’s not the most memorable score in the world, but the songs serve a purpose - a character is able to express his or her emotions clearly and passionately. Some songs are catchy. But the music is not the highlight of the show; it’s the story. The actors they cast are clearly all actors first, and then singers. None of the music if particularly vocally challenging. Not to say that the singing was bad; it is all quite good. But this isn’t a show you do with mega-diva-belter types. Or dancers. There is no dancing in the entire show. This makes it feel Sondheimian in a sense - more realism based, rather than fantasy.
It makes me happy that such a tragedy has run for so long here. I also understand why Blood Brothers has never run on Broadway. It’s too sad. American audiences like a cheezeball happy ending. The British seem to not mind when the story ends sadly. This show is a truly devastating story about a family. But what it is really about is class divisions. It’s set in England but it could have happened in any country. Not to say the whole thing is gloomy. There are moments of amazing comedy, particulary when the boys are quite young. These scenes are hilarious and adorable. There are also several very uplifting songs and scenes. So the gloom is well balanced out so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by it.
If you are in London, and you appreciate musical theatre, this is an absolute must-see show.
