Back at the Wyvern Theatre this week, after a few years away from the Swindon stage, is Willy Russell’s heart-breaking musical Blood Brothers.
The multi-award-winning poignant story follows the tale of twin boys separated at birth and later reunited through a twist of fate and a mother’s haunting secret, which has been acclaimed as one of the greatest musicals of all time.
As the curtain slowly rises, we are transported to a dilapidated cul-de-sac. On one side of the stage stands a row of worn-out, red brick terraced houses, while at the end of the street, a high wall covered in Everton graffiti leaves no doubt that we are in Liverpool.
On the opposite side, a striking dwelling catches the eye with its elegant architecture, featuring a balcony that adds to its grandeur.
The narrative centers around Mrs. Johnstone (Niki Colwell Evans), a struggling young mother abandoned by her husband and forced to support her five children by working as a housekeeper. Her already precarious world is shattered when she discovers she is pregnant with twins.
In a moment of desperation, she enters into a secret pact with her employer, who offers to ‘adopt’ one of the babies.
Both mothers do their best to keep the twins apart, however, despite their vastly different upbringings, they become friends and eventually ‘blood brothers’.
The kids in the show, Mickey (Sean Jones), Eddie (Joe Sleight), Sammy (Timothy Lucas), and their friend Linda (Olivia Sloyan), who are all played by adults, cleverly grow up before our eyes.
Sean and Joe’s impersonation of seven, nearly eight-year-old best friends Mickey and Eddie, was a highlight of the evening – bouncing off each other in both light-hearted comedic lines, which was followed by waves of laughter from the audience, and then somehow managing to quieten the room with heart-wrenching scenes just moments later.
Olivia appeared to use the interval to transform Linda from the pigtailed girl next door to the emotional yet confident stay-at-home mother with a memorable performance throughout the whole of the second act.
Richard Munday held a strong presence from start to finish as The Narrator offering outstanding, if somewhat gritty vocals from start to finish.
However, the standout performance has got to be that of Niki Colwell Evans as Mrs. Johnstone.
With her exceptionally emotional vocal delivery, it’s clear that Evans’s background as a former X-Factor star shines through in every word she sings.
Her powerful vocals reached even the farthest corners of the Wyvern auditorium.
All in all, this is a phenomenal production of one of the very popular British musicals (this is my fourth time watching) – if you want to see a mesmerising, emotional performance that will captivate your heart and leave you utterly lost for words, get to the Wyvern Theatre this week – if you can get a ticket that is.
Blood Brothers is at the Wyvern Theatre until Saturday 11th March 2023. Tickets are available here.
Photos courtesy of Jack Merriman
