Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

...objectively. Willy Russell's Blood Brothers is excellent when performed well on stage. Whilst reading the play will leave a more shallow impression, if it's the only exposure you're likely to get then it's worth the effort to read it. Over the last decade or two it has been accepted as an exam text and studied at GCSE level and it stands up well to scrutiny. The basic tale is that of twin brothers and their mother who is forced through poverty to ...
...of the boys and how their paths cross, all the time shrouded in superstition and fear. From the moment she gives up Edward, Mrs Johnstone regrets it but realises, too late, that she has sealed an undesirable fate for the boys when she is told: "You do know what they say about twins, separated at birth? They say that if either twin ever learns he was once one of a pair they shall both immediately die." And while this might sound ridiculously dramatic, ...

hawkida 22.02.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

I'll be honest, Blood Brothers was not what I expected and that really threw me off for the whole thing and reduced my enjoyment! After speaking to various people beforehand about it, I got the impression that it was a more serious affair than it was. I was expecting to go in and see something more like Les Miserables rather than Spamalot! The show lasts about 3 hours (including an interval) and is in the Phoenix Theatre which is located on Charing ...
...probably be aware by now, Blood Brothers is the story of 2 sons who were separated at birth but became best friends despite their different upbringings. One son (the one kept by their mother) is brought up in a run down area of Liverpool and struggles to make ends meet. The other son is brought up by a wealthy family in Liverpool and never goes wanting for anything. The story tells of their journey through their early life and how, despite both kids ...

mynameisrui 07.07.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

I went to see blood brothers at the theatre at christmas, and I thought the play was great. I had read Educating Rita in school, which I don't think is all that amazing, but I prefered this storyline. It's not only funny and amusing, but sad and upsetting. It really touches all your emotions. The basic storyline is about a women who gives up one of the twins she has to the rich women she works with. She has to give up her child, because she can't ...
...and love lives. The twins, naturally meet, and they fall in love with the same girl. Minnie, the girl they fancy, loves the poorer twin, and eventually they get married. But then, trying to make money for his family, the poorer twin gets sent to prison. Once out of prison hee suffers severe bouts of depression. Naturally Minnie turns to the othr twin for help, which has its own consequences. Throughout the story there is a little tale of superstition, ...

jeocar 21.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

Blood Brother’s “Once is never enough” Author: Willy Russell; Director: Bob Tomson; Producer: Bill Kenwright Ltd; Cast includes: Lyn Paul (Mrs Johnston) Philip Stewart (Narrator) Stephen Palfreman (Mickey), Mark Hutchinson (Eddie), Sarah Hay (Mrs Lyons), Louise Clayton (Linda), Stephen Pallister (Mr Lyons), Daniel Taylor (Sammy), Grant Aylward (PC/Teacher), Louis Tamone (Perkins), Louise Russell (Donna Marie), Alex Harland (Bus Conductor), Emily ...
...their fingers and rub the blood together; they have now become Blood Brothers. The two boys have fun together playing out with Mickey’s brother Sammy and Linda. Mrs Lyons finds out that the boys are friends and moves Eddie to the country. Both boys are upset to be parting, and Mrs Johnson is upset to loose her son again, she gives Eddie a locket with a picture of herself and Mickey in it. Mrs Johnson is then informed that house she is living in ...

LIZKEMPO 09.01.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

"Blood Brothers" is the best play i have ever seen or read. I have seen the play performed 7 times and every time was as moving, hillarious, saddening and exciting as the last. When i saw the play for the first time, i wasn't prepared for the masive change of emotions i was about to experience. The play is about two twins seperated at birth as their mother (Mrs Johnston) cannot afford to keep them both. She sells one of the twins (Eddy) to Mrs Lyons ...
...(Mickey) who grows up on a council estate where he seems to make the best of his childhood. Mrs Lyons is so concerned about her husband and neighbours finding out about the deal and her reputation being ruined that she decides to take advantage of Mrs Johnstons superstitiousness (if thats a word) by telling her that if either twin finds out that they were once a pair, then they will both automatically die" and so it is agreed that the twins shall ...

ShedMonkey 06.10.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

was first taken to see this show in London about 2 years ago as part of my drama course and after annoying my mum about how good it was and her becoming jealous we went to see it on tour first in Eastbourne then in Tunbridge Wells and I think we’re going to get tickets again for the one in London ***The Story*** The story I set in 1962 and revolves around two boys Mickey Johnstone and Eddie Lyons both from different backgrounds, one from a well ...
...but happy family (The Johnstone’s). The two boys become friends at the age of seven; we then watch them grow into adults. But there is a secret that Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons hold; Eddie is the twin of Mickey, who was given away at birth to an infertile Mrs Lyons. As the two grow up they become very close and are even in love with the same girl (Linda) Mickey gets into a bit of trouble when he’s older and is sent to prison, after getting out he ...

Vicki_ER 27.01.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

Blood Brothers is an absolutely fantastic play, it brings out all of the human emotions because it is incredibly funny but also incredibly sad. I went to see it at Milton Keynes theatre with my school drama group and so I had the opportunity to read the paly first before I saw. When you read it is very funny but the emotion doesn't come accross half as well as it does on stage. If you get the opportunity to see this play I would recommend that you ...
...'upper' and 'lower' classes and covers the terrible dilemmna of a mother who gives one twin away to another person who lives up the road. It makes you wonder what you would do if you were in that situation(and also makes you pray that your not ever in that situation). In short I would definitely recommend going to see this play because it will make you laugh and cry all within the space of 5 mins. I fyou can read the book I would recommend this as ...

Loz 23.09.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

Blood Brothers is a fantastic musical that has been around for over 20 years and is still as popular as ever. I have now seen it 5 times and cant wait to go again its that good. Book, lyrics and music are all by Willy Russell. Plot is centred around the working class Johnstone family with Mrs Johnstone becoming a single parent quite soon into the story as her husband leaves her with a brood of children. To feed her family Mrs Johnstone gets a job ...
...is a big hit. Soon after she realises she is pregnant with twin boys and cant possibly afford to bring up another two children. Mrs Lyons however is desperate for a child and unable to get pregnant so offers to 'buy the baby. Reluctantly Mrs Johnson agrees and the deal is done. The story follows the children growing up and one day they randomly meet in the street and become firm friends. They realise they have the same birthday, calling themselves ...

bexx0907 24.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

With interest in Blood Brothers revived through the canny decision to cast Mel C in the role of Mrs Johnstone, I thought I'd pen some thoughts. I've seen the West End production an embarassing number of times now (well into the double digits!) and almost always, have had every emotional button pushed. More of a play with songs, than a musical, the show lacks the gloss of Wicked or the gasp inducing sets of Phantom. But what it does have is a very ...
...report back when I do. It's been around donkeys years and sometimes we think it's abit of a coach party production or a tourist trap. It's not. Blood Brothers remains a relevant piece of theatre and deserves the widest audience possible. I know I'll be returning. ...

dazzlair 17.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

Blood brothers has been on the GCSE syllabus now for how many years? And that’s how I first got introduced into the play so I read it over and over and over and over again so I'd like to say I know it pretty well, and I didn't get all that bored of it. The play begins with telling you the ending, believe it or not. It tells you that there were twins, one given away and one kept yet they both died on the same day. The narrator tries to tell us that ...
...we learn throughout the play that she is a sweet and caring mother that would never wish to hurt a fly. The beginning of the play really sets the mood telling us about Mrs Johnstone and how she became pregnant so often, and it also sets the light-hearted mood for the play. We learn that Mrs Johnstone clearly has to bring her family up in a lower class way with little toys, food or clothes for the children. From here on in one of the themes class ...

Jojo14 06.08.2007 (07.08.2007) · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

Blood Brothers was first writen as a school play. It is about two brothers (twins) seperated at birth, one given away to a woman called mre lyons and one kept by the byoligical mother mre johnstone. Mrs lyons is a very serious woman she wont let anyone get in her way if she wants something, she twisted and turned everything mrs johnstone said so she could have one of her babies (Eddie) because she couldn't concive any of her own, while her husband ...
..."swap", mrs lyons said that mrs johnstone could see the babie at anytime (but she lied) while mre johnstone worked she would fuss over 'her' babie, but mrs lyons started getting annoyed and sacked her then she later told her that selling your babie is a serious offence and handed her £50, she also told her a fake superstition 'if the boy should ever learn that they once was a pair they will die' that is the start of the story, if you think it sounds ...

jessiicaa_7 26.05.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

An excellent play. Music and lyrics by Willy Russell. At the pheonix theatre. This started out as a simple school play and has risen beyond any body's expectations. This show is one f the longest running musical in theatre history, it is still doing well after some twenty years. Most famously starring Babara Dickson, this show is one not to be missed and the cast are always fantastic and the story very bitter sweet and somewhat haunting in places ...
...wondering through who this voice belongs to . It seems that it is most likely superstition or old wives tales coming to haunt Mrs. Johnstone. The story sees "Mickey" Michael Jonhstone and "Eddie" (as Micky calls him) Edward Lyons meeting through chance , becomming freinds and then dicovering that they are twins who were seperated at birth. " Did you hear the story of the Johnstone twins -as like each other as two new pins" The very reasoning for ...

Sophie-Kaia 07.02.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

Blood Brother Book Review i studied Blood Brother's at GCSE for two years and i found that it was one of the best plays i have ever read it was amazing. Willy Russel is a very clever man in how he wrote this play because he shows how class and superstion and blackmailing violence came between people. Blood Brothers is a very emotional play showing how a family can be split up and also how people can come together like micky and eddie and also eddie ...

Shonalou15 05.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

I went to see this at the theatre with my school recently and really enjoyed it. We are reading the play and doing an exam on this play next year for my GCSE's and I can't wait. I like the way that the characters form and develop throughout the play and having not read the book, when I watched it I was on the edge of my seat because I didn't know what was going to happen and I really enjoyed it. ...

AmMeLiA 23.01.2008
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell

i first went to see this play about 2 years ago with my drama group and i absolutely loved it. my friend Louise who had been to see it before had recommended it when we heard that there was a trip being organised. it is by far the best play i have ever seen and when we found out that for our A level coursework we had to do a comparative study i asked if i could do plays. i immediately chose 'blood brothers' when i was told that i could and chose ...
...play of Willy Russell's. 'blood bothers' is just an amazing story and a brilliant depiction of what life can be like for the lower classes. I really associated with the characters and i am going to see it again in september. i would receommend it to anyone who enjoys good theatre and loves to feel a real emotional connection with the characters on stage. ...

sarah-ruth 14.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Blood Brothers - Willy Russell