Double trouble as tragic tale takes to stage
solo numbers such as Marilyn Monroe, Easy Terms and the devastatingly-beautiful Tell Me It’s Not True pack a real emotional punch.
She’s joined on stage by a talented troupe, none more so than the twins, played to brilliant effect by Sean Jones as Mickey and Mark Hutchinson as Eddie.
Sean, in particular, is captivating to watch as he perfectly embodies a snotty, care-free seven-year-old through to Mickey’s awkward teenage years and as an adult where the light of his character has been snuffed out as his life spirals out of control.
These are characters in which you can’t help but emotionally invest and it’s heart-breaking to see Mickey transform from a joyous, toy gun-toting scamp into a broken jailbird who’s reliant on drugs.
It’s this stark contrast which brings a brilliant balance of comedy and pathos to the production. You almost forget that he and Mark are grown men as they bound around the stage as knee-stained sevenyear-olds, hockling at each other and playing pranks.
There’s plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes in these early days, with Mickey’s rib-tickling rhymes as he tries to outsmart big brother Sammy, played powerfully by Daniel Taylor, and impress main squeeze Linda, played with real warmth by Danielle Corlass.
As the years go on, the twins’ divisions deepen and while Eddie has the straight back of a pillar in the community, Mickey’s shoulders seem stooped and heavy with the burden of life. This is physical acting at its finest.
It’s this divide which leads to a heartwrenching dénouement which elicited the biggest standing ovation I’ve seen at the Empire in months.
Just make sure to pack a hankie: in true Shakespearean style, they don’t live happily ever after.