Blood Brothers

I have the 1988 London Revival Cast and I love it a lot. It has great songs, my favorite being "Marilyn Monroe" (all 20 times of it....exagerating). I have never seen it but that cast recording is AMAZING. You should really check it out.

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Saw it in London last year and it is AMAZING. One of the most powerful nights I have ever whitnessed in a theatre. I too have the 1988 recording and it is marvelous. The "International" Recording has more songs because they made all of the tiny narrator's speeches (similar to those of the narrator in "Into the Woods") each a separate track, thusly making it more expensive, but the 88 recording just puts those at the begining of the track it comes before, so you aren't losing any material. You should really check it out... its a fantastick show. Willy Russell should really get more credit- he's a genious.

EDIT: Yes, thats the cover. And yes, the show is mostly sung through, but you can purchase a copy of the script. It has some interesting interveiews/study guide material and eariler versions of scenes, etc. that are really interesting. Ill try to find a link...

Updated On: 3/7/05 at 11:12 PM

Thanks a lot, maybethistime!

So it's still playing in London? How long has it been running? I'm hoping to cross the pond this fall, so maybe I'll catch it. What is it like onstage? Again, the story seems a bit melodramatic and silly (what with the whole prophecy thing), but from all accounts I've heard it's an emotionally exhausting experience -- and the music is beautiful and melancholic.

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Im not sure exactly how long its been running, but I think its been jumping around from Liverpool to West End since the late 70's early 80's. Onstage, it is amazing. The cast is completly drained emotionally by the end, and it took nearly 20 bows for them to finally losen up. It is impossible to describe how compelling actually seeing the show is. The simplistic set & lighting is really effective as is the music and the way everything is so well though out that clever little thinks make it amazing. Even the melodramatic plot, which seems silly out of context, is perfect for the music (and vice versa). On the downside, as always, its a matter of opinion. As you've probably heard and noticed from the CD, it isn't exactly you typical piece of golden-age broadway musical, but I saw it w/ my grandparents and we all LOVED it and were emotionally moved by the end. Then I recommended it to one of my friends and she absolutley though it was the worst peice of "wannabe-theatre" she'd ever seen! Not to discourage you from seeing it, but it isn't one of those shows that EVERYONE raves about. I'd be curious to hear what you think if you end up seeing it!

Meh...I saw it and didn't care for it. However, I also saw an extremely bad production, so I'm sure that's affected my judgment. And I wasn't the only one who hated it: It was a mainstage show at the National Thespian Conference three years ago, and it was so awful that when it came time for act two to start, the audience actually protested. You could actually hear people shouting "No!!" Not that I condone that, but...it was that bad.

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I was in a production of it a few years ago, and I think it's one of the greatest, most moving shows. I adore it, and I'm hoping for a Broadway revival. And yes, the CD you posted is the best one.

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A long way to go until what? huh?

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Aw thanks....even though you are a straight boy and are married to Zeta.

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Blue Wizard, Blood Brothers is playing at the Heritage Theatre in Brampton in May I believe,

LOL, that's great! Whereabouts is the Heritage Theatre (what intersection)?

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I saw a production of "Blood Brothers" in London quite a number of years ago (not too long after it had opened) and it left a LOT to be desired. If I had to hear that "Marilyn Monroe" song one more time my head would have exploded.

It was all everyone was talking about in London at the time and I must say I was rather disappointed. It was probably one of the most melodramatic pieces of theatre I had seen in a long time. "Educating Rita" and "Shirley Valentine" both have much better scripts. The writing in this, IMO, was Willy Russell's full out attempt at emotional masturbation.

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I saw BLOOD BROTHERS in London last summer. I loved it. Yes, it's melodramatic, but it was done with a tremendous amount of commitment -- and some of the best acting I have seen in a musical.

I love the way the music fits so well with the drama. It's very "angsty" at times, and exuberant at other times, but the music always contributes to the storytelling.

I hope to see an equally good production of the show (perhaps the same one) again sometime soon.

Eastwickian--Are you talking about this one? If so, you have to go to www.amazon.com/uk to order it.

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