Soul mates: Blood Brothers

Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, October 23-28

Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers has been good to Lyn Paul. This year it’s been exactly two decades since the Manchester-born actor – until that point best-known for singing at the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest with the New Seekers – wrote to the impresario Bill Kenwright and requested a role in the hit musical, which had been running for 14 years by that point.

“I got a reply by return post,” says Lyn. “Bill said he’d love to see me, and three weeks later I was on stage in the Phoenix Theatre waiting to rehearse. It was all down to that letter.

“It was Carl Wayne of The Move who suggested I try for the part after he’d seen me in cabaret, but I didn’t want to – I’d never acted and I didn’t know I could. My mum talked me into it and Bill took a huge gamble casting me,” he continues.

The move paid off for Bill and for Lyn, as she made the role of Mrs Johnstone – mother of the tragic, separated brothers of the title – her own, following in the footsteps of singer/actors like Barbara Dickson and Kiki Dee (Carole King, Petula Clark and Melanie Chisholm of the Spice Girls are among many others to have taken the role).

“She’s a down-to-earth, grounded Northern mother, which is what I like to think I am,” says Lyn. “She’s gone through her own trials, and I’ve had great highs and many lows in my career, so I can relate to her like you wouldn’t believe.”

It’s not only the quality of the role she enjoys, but the opportunity to put a working class, Northern woman at the heart of the story.

“It’s a very rare part, and the musical itself is a very rare one too,” Lyn continues. “It’s stood the test of time without having to be changed since it went on stage over 35 years ago.

“It’s just so well-written, so wellproduced and well-directed. I don’t call it a musical, it’s a play with music – it just stands up in every way, and I’m so lucky to still be involved in it.”

For Lyn herself, the success of Blood Brothers opened the doors on a whole new career. She found an agent and took big musical theatre parts, including in Footloose: The Musical, the Boy George musical Taboo and opposite Will Young in Cabaret. The part also took her into television acting, with roles in Emmerdale, Holby City and Doctors.

Since the West End run closed after 30 years in 2012, Lyn has been back with the 30th anniversary tour of Blood Brothers for the last 18 months. “It never gets old for an actor,” she says.

“It’s such a vibrant piece, it goes through the highs and lows, and you never know how the audience will react or what each performance will bring. It continues to be an incredible achievement for the whole company.”

The cast of Blood Brothers.