April 2017 – Blood Brothers

Written by Willy Russell.

The production of “Blood Brothers” by Willy Russell was performed in Morganstown Village Hall from April 27th to 29th 2017. The play tells the story of twins separated at birth and brought up in two very different worlds with very different outlooks in life.

The play, from the author of “Educating Rita”, is fast-moving and perceptive, entertaining and thought provoking, funny yet ultimately tragic. It looks at the differences and conflicts of the boys’ upbringings, their relationships with each other and with their real and adopted mothers.

The play considers family, education, employment, housing and relationships and offers not only entertainment but also a great number of topics and starting points for discussion. With a mixture of styles and a naturalistic approach, the focus is on the acting with a minimalistic set and props kept to a bare minimum.

This production was led by Director Mike Gelder, who is usually found treading the boards, with a mixture of new and old faces on stage bringing this popular story to life. The contrasting roles of Mrs Johnston, the working-class Liverpudlian and deserted wife with seven children with two more on the way and the middle class Mrs Lyons, who in sharp contrast is unable to have children and hides this fact from her husband, are played by Bev Jones and Lesley Collier-Roberts respectively.

The twins were brought to life by Peter Griffiths (Mickey) and Mark Sadler (Eddie) with Helen Blundell as the friend and love interest Linda who sparks a rivalry between the brothers which gradually spirals out of control to a devastating end.

The play itself was moved along by the Narrator (Alex Brent) whose omnipresent character drives the story to its climax with a dark and over-powering sense of foreboding whilst at the same time entertaining the audience with whimsical and poetic observations.

CAST in order of appearance:

Narrator Alex Brent

Mrs Johnston Bev Jones

Milkman Alex Brent

Mrs Lyons Lesley Collier-Roberts

Doctor Alex Brent

Mickey Peter Griffiths

Eddie Mark Sadler

Linda Helen Blundell

Policewoman Jane Sinclair

Directed by Mike Gelder