BLOOD BROTHERS

[glick34doll]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 12:42am

I ran a search on here for Blood Brothers and I am shocked that there is nothing about it at all on here. I think this show is wonderful! Very touching and musically catchy. My college will be doing it this spring and I ws wondering what everyone thought about the show? I know it's been in London off and on for a while. Not sure if it made the way to NYC...maybe thats why there is no discussion about it Story seems a little week but very 70's rock...really like it

[kec]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 3:22am

According to the IBDB, Blood Brothers played at the Music Box theatre 1993-1995. It is currently playing in London, and, while I haven't seen it, I know people who have and loved it.

[bob8rich]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 4:49am

BLOOD BROTHERS is a superb show - an extremely funny book which is also really touching and understreamed with powerful socio-political commentary. And there are some excellent songs: the finale, "Tell Me It's Not True" is quite stunning. The quality of the writing is not surprising as its author, Willy Russell, is the award winning playwright of EDUCATING RITA and SHIRLEY VALENTINE. What is perhaps surpising is that the songs are so good - Russell is not known as a composer!

Its first incarnation in London in 1983, starring Barbra Dickson, was quite short lived but it was revived in a National Tour in 1988, starring Kiki Dee, transferred to the West End and has been running there ever since, making it one of London's longest running musicals. (And there have been several national tours in the UK in recent years.)

It opened on Broadway in 1993 with Petula Clark, David Cassidy & Shaun Cassidy in the leads, but was not as successful - possibly it is too "English" for an American audience, and the accents in particular may have been off-putting. But the quality of the material deserved greater success on the Great White Way.

There have been 3 major recordings of the show: the original cast with Barbra Dickson, the Kiki Dee West End cast and an "International" studio recording with Petula Clark, David Cassidy, Shaun Cassidy and Willy Russell himself as the Narrator.

Good luck with your college production, btw!

Updated On: 12/20/03 at 04:49 AM

[JakeB]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 5:38am

For me, words cannot sum up Blood Brothers. I think I've seen it five times, once in West End and four on tour.. but it's coming again in March - can't wait. The best thing about it is taking friends and introducing people to how good it is. My youth group did it about 18 months ago and I played the Narrator, it was great - I looked like I was going to a funeral!

If you're coming to London then, sure, it doesn't get big audiences but it is definitely a must-see.
Amazon.com - Blood Brothers text

[sharon1]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 6:16am

I thought it was closing in London this Spring. The run has been about 15 years hasn't it????

[broadway geek]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 8:48am

When I went to london this summer it did seem a little empty. For Saturday night I was able to get third row tikets from TKTS. It seemed like the only way it was making money was from schools and big groups like that.

I cried so much at the ending. The first act was hilarious and it makes a good transition to the somber second act. Only problem was music was over-amplified so it was hard to hear the voices.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 9:36am

When Blood Brothers came to Broadway, Stephanie Lawrence played the mother. Then stunt casting began with Petula Clark. After that Carole King and Helen Reddy played the role.

There is also a recording with Stephanie Lawrence playing the mother.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 9:47am

Loved the show especially the music & story. What ruined it for me was that instead of having little children play the younger roles, the older actors had to do it & it seemed silly.

[Deena Jones2]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 2:40pm

Get the Stephanie Lawrence recording... she was amazing. She and the original Bway cast performed on the Tony's. Her rendition of 'Tell Me its Not True' will tear your heart out!

[DefyingGravity2]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 2:57pm

I love blood brothers. Its funny and sad, and AMAZING. i just love it. oy.

[shermanslave]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 8:20pm

I love this show too! And Stephanie Lawrence is really great on the recording. If you could see the Tony's that year, her performance of Tell Me It's Not True will knock you out. I have all the Tony performances from the last 11 years on tape and hers is one of the best. When I saw that show, it quicly went to the top 5 favorite B'way shows I have seen and is still up there. I think it is a very bold choice for a high school to do. Really great idea. Does a high school really need to do another production of hello Dolly or South Pacific?

http://www.shermanslave.com/

Posted: 12/20/03 at 8:45pm

It is a shame Miss Lawrence died so young too. She would have been perfect for some of the roles that have come out since.

I have all the mentioned recordings and also the New Zealand Cast and a Hebrew Version.

[shermanslave]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 8:50pm

what?? she is dead? i did not know that.

[broadway geek]

Posted: 12/20/03 at 10:18pm

On the contrary Mr Roxy, I think the same people play the children from 7 to 20 is a good idea. It is eaiser to bond with the characters and if the actors are good, easy to get caught thinking you are watching an oversized child.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/21/03 at 11:58am

Stephanie Lawrence passed away in Nov. 2000. She was only 50 years old.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/21/03 at 1:56pm

I agree with B.O.Jon about Lawrence. She had a future ahead of her. I saw her EVITA and STARLIGHT EXPRESS in London. The latter was a mediocre ice show on roller skates, but her eleven o'clock spot, "Only He," managed to be human and moving. She was simple and affecting in BLOOBROTHERS. I 2nd acted it with Petula Clark, and thought she was better than stunt casting.

What intrigues me about BLOODBROTHERS is how melodramatic it is, with its somewhat arch attempt to echo Greek drama, use of silly supernatural elements (shoes on the table foreshadowing bad, bad luck), etc. Yet the damned thing works. You can't helpt but get caught up. The actor who played the tortured son who stayed with Lawrence -- Con O'Neill -- really made it for me. His descent opposite his brother's rise was delineated without self-indulgence or self-pity. O'Neill's performance of Russell's most haunting song, "Sunday Afternoon" somehow captured that lonely, isolated feeling every child has, when there's no one to play with, nothing to do--and in his case,no future to anticipate. As much as I loved Lawrence,I never forgot O'Neill, and his final moments really had the feel of tragedy.

The show ran for 840 performances and 13 previews, by the way (just looked it up). I think you'd call that a success of sorts. April 93 - April 95.

Updated On: 12/21/03 at 01:56 PM