Lyn Paul is the ultimate Mrs Johnstone
Blood Brothers at New Theatre, Cardiff
WILLY Russell’s Blood Brothers is one of Britain’s longest running musicals, and has been in the public consciousness for 30 years (so much so that some people know the ending without even seeing the show).
Blood Brothers is about the Johnstone twins - one is kept by already struggling single mother Mrs Johnstone; while the other is raised in comfort by a middleclass family. The mothers try to keep the twins apart, but they soon find each other, becoming best friends and ‘blood brothers’.
In 30 years a lot of things have changed, but some things like class divide and unemployment still stands.
Some of the cast are more convincing playing their childhood versions, significantly Sean Jones’s seven-year-old doom, and when he lets rip at various Mickey convinces where as the other points with Shoes Upon the Table it’s a twin Mark Hutchinson’s Eddie less so. thrill. Andy Walmsley’s set design is According to his programme bio, plain beautiful. The street/estate is solid Hutchinson has a long history with the and realistic working-class housing. role, including playing Eddie in the West Most of the show plays in front of a End and on Broadway, but as a middle twinkly but perpetually dark and cloudy aged man playing a posh boy from ages Liverpool skyline. seven to 18, I’m sorry I just didn’t find The standing ovation at the end is him believable. definitely for Lyn Paul’s Mrs Johnstone.
On the other hand, Jones, who has Her voice contains so much emotion also played the part of Mickey before, is and if her performance of Tell Me It’s totally believable – from innocent Not True doesn’t move you, you must be seven-year-old to the broken man he is stone. Paul’s performance makes me at the end of the piece. His portrayal of want to see nobody else play Mrs child-Mickey is all the more poignant in Johnstone. hindsight. Chris Williams
Dean Chisnall’s Narrator stalks the Blood Brothers is in Cardiff until play like a Liverpudlian prophet of Saturday, September 30 Last night’s National Lottery Lotto winning numbers are 30, 35, 45, 47, 52, 55. The Bonus Ball is 40. The Thunderball winning numbers are 03, 04, 06, 18, 19. The Thunderball is 07.