Willy Russell seems to be a playwright particularly attracted to music. One of his early plays John, Paul, George, Ringo & Bert displayed a strong affinity with his subject so I think it was no coincidence that the group of which Russell was a part (Alan Bleasdale, Bernard Hill, Anthony Sher, Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce and Julie Walters were others) came together at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre when that city was still considered to be at the heart of popular culture.

A lot of actors I know would have fancied themselves as rock stars. Many of them would gladly swap their Hamlet tights for heavy-metal spandex. There are those who even get to act out those fantasies. Bill Nighy, for example, was totally convincing in both Love, Actually and Still Crazy. And Jimmy Nail, in the latter, showed himself to be an excellent singer and even had a number one hit single nearly 20 years ago. In this production it is the other way round with Marti Pellow of Wet, Wet, Wet playing the Narrator.

Blood Brothers, while not by any means a “rock opera”, certainly had Liverpool at its heart. It is the story of twin boys, separated at birth but growing up together only as the blood brothers of the title, without knowing they were true brothers. Along with other Russell plays there were strong socialist themes at work here – one boy growing up in poverty, the other in the leafy suburbs – exploring the difference between nature and nurture.

While there is really only one outstanding song in the show, overall the piece is totally fab and something I wish I’d seen years ago (it was premiered in 1983 and has been running continually ever since). The lead is essentially the mother, Mrs. Johnstone, and over the years the role has been a vehicle for many of the great female voices of our generation. Blood Brothers was written for Barbara Dickson but has been played by, among others, Petula Clark, Stephanie Lawrence, Clodagh Rodgers and Kiki Dee while Carole King has played it on Broadway.

This touring version stars Maureen Nolan, one of the Nolan Sisters, who has great voice and was certainly a good enough actor to carry the emotionally charged moments of the show. Sean Jones was excellent and totally believable in all phases of Mickey’s growing up.The staging was simple and straightforward without the overkill imposed on so many musical shows these days. The cast was excellent and the show’s climax was breathtaking (almost literally) and was endorsed by a standing ovation. It is difficult to find a negative thing to say about Blood Brothers, so obviously the show comes highly recommended.  ★★★★★   Michael Hasted    14/04/15