Blood Brothers

[Livin' Legend]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 4:14pm

I bought the album from Amazon and I got it on Thursday. I LOVE the music and I was thinking of it coming back to Broadway. Does anyone think it could do well again? I know the original lasted 3 years? I think it would be great to see it!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 5:09pm

A very moving show however, it looked extremely dated and cheap when it was on Broadway. Terrible sets and 80's lighting effects. STUNNING performances by the late, great Stephanie Lawrence as well as the character of Mickey by Con O'Neil. Her "Tell me Its not true" killed me

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 7:11pm

A great show and one I truly love, added bonus as it originated from my homeland, there was a thread on here not too long ago and I was heartened by all the people on here who spoke well of it.

However a Broadway revival is just a tad optimistic, even though the original one run at the Music Box for 3 years, the theatre was hardly full and it was Bill Kenright's ego keeping Blood Brothers open as the show used to gross under $200k a week.

Saying that there is a zero chance of a Broadway theater, it would make a great project for a off-Broadway theater and could be teched out to todays standards and there I believe you could have a very successful show.

[Jon]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 7:20pm

The Broadway production managed three years thanks to "star" replacement casting - Petula Clark, Helen Reddy, Carole King, David & Shawn Cassidy.

[once a month]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 3:48pm

time for a listen once again, though not sure if IPod worthy

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 4:33pm

Blood Brothers was a TKTS staple for a long time.

I really like the show, but I think that the Marilyn Monroe motif went on a bit too long. When the mother compared her son to MM, that went too far.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 12:43am

Last saw it in London in September, 2010 and the ending had me fighting back whimpers/tears. Incredibly moving as played out by the cast that night. The theatre was half empty the night I went, so I moved from my original row H seat to 2rd row for the second act.

While I love the show as a whole, I was surprised I wasn't able to stomach most of the first act when they're all children because I don't recall it being that grating the 2 times I saw the U.S. national tour starring the Cassidy brothers and Petula Clark. It was a mistake to include too much stereotypical childish slapstick. It was like, 5 minutes of watching them play gags on each other, 2 minutes of fake farting, 4 minutes of slobbering, 3 minutes of a grown actor miming riding a tricycle. It becomes more about the actors showing off, proving their wiiiiiiiiiiiiide range as actors/artists, then, we're suddenly thrust back into the story and it's already act 2. So much of the kid dialogue is useless and doesn't forward the story an inch. It's filler.

But, yeah, I recommend it and certainly hope it gets revived someday.

I don't recall "80's lighting effects" in the show. The London production definitely looks comfortably "lived in" and could use a refurb, but other than that, it's holding up well.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 10:51am

Every time the narrator was singing, banks of pin spots would engulf the stage... kinda like that Lionel Ritchie video "Say you, Say Me."

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 10:53am

The show has always been a favorite of mine, and I try to see it whenever I'm in London. The last time I caught it was with Melanie C, who was really spectacular.

I saw it on Broadway with Carole King, who tried hard but really didn't have the voice for it, and wasn't much of an actress. I wish I'd been able to see Stephanie Lawrence.