Blood Brothers: Opinions?

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 8:21pm

Hey,

Just out my school is now doing "Blood Brothers". I don't get the show. I've seen it, I've listened to it. I'm now in the process of reading it and listening to it. There was a thread about recordings, so I'm looking into getting something to replace the Petula Clark version.

What are some opinions? Does it move you? Favorite song? Want to shoot Marilyn Monroe after it?

[MCfan2]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 8:40pm

"Want to shoot Marilyn Monroe after it?"



I saw it and liked it, but that was SOOO long ago. I'm hazy on details now. As I recall, it did get a bit repetitive in places, but the story came across as pretty powerful.

[DeadParrot2]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 8:41pm

I saw the show in London and it moved me tremendously. There is something about the story that gets at your heart, and by the end of the show I was fighting back tears. Now the funy thing about this show is that if I were to approach it on paper, without having seen it, I would have probably written it off as a trite and repetitive piece of theatre. For some reason it works on my heart, but not really for my brain.

I also think there is something inherently British about the whole exercise, and the better you understand the style and attitudes of the British population it was originally written for, the better one can understand it.

Now, having said all that, I'm not at all crazy about the Petula Clark recording. I'd definitely recommend giving the 1988 London Revival recording with Kiki Dee a listen instead. Its more synthesizery, but more powerful, in my opinion.

Its true though, the show could have benefitted from one less reprise of "Marilyn Monroe", but I'm willing to forgive that since we get "Tell Me Its Not True".

[jeffrey1dog]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 8:55pm

My ex was from England & dragged me to see it when it opened on Broadway. I fell madly in love with it. It touched me on every level. I eventually saw it 3 times, the best of which was with Petula Clark & the Cassidy brothers. The worst was watching a rolley polley Helen Reddy squeal out the songs I loved so much.

Favorite songs... "Easy Terms", "Tell me it's not True" & "My Child." I even liked the often reprised Marilyn Monroe song .
I wish it would come back to Broadway.

Best of luck theaterkid1015. Listen to the London recording with Kiki Dee. Even though I loved Petula Clark (still do) I think Dee's version is better.

Updated On: 1/12/08 at 08:55 PM

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 9:30pm

It cant be that bad because it hits 20 years in London this year. The original production in London collapsed after just 6 months because leading lady Barbara Dickson failed to do a complete week of shows during the run. I made many attempts to see her and on my 5th try she was on - she was amazing but the show got bad publicity because of her missing so many shows. Two years later a touring production went out around the UK and went to Londons Albery Theatre for a limited season and 20 years later is still playing. It has to be seen, i cant imagine it having much impact just reading it!. Gets me every time!
The better recordings are Kiki Dee and Stepahnie Lawrence.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 9:43pm

I've seen the show in both London and New York. It's what I'd call an "unassuming" musical. Not a lot of flash, but with strong actors, the characters become very real.

It is a bit difficult for Americans to understand because we don't have the class system as evident as they do in the UK. But it's an interesting musical because the secret that the mother is keeping haunts her through the show. We Americans are very optimistic. We say things like "It doesn't matter where you start, you can be a success". I think this show asks the question "Does success come from nature or nurture?"

Quite a bit of the music is nice. I do agree that the Marilyn Monroe theme goes on one too many times. When the mother compares her son's getting out of jail to MM, that's gone one too far. But the songs "Easy Terms" "Bright New Day" "That Guy" "Tell Me It's Not True"

In New York I saw Stephanie Lawrence who had a really great belt voice. I also saw Carole King who really brought a tiredness to the character and a sad note of hopelessness.

I wish that some producer would open this in a small off-Broadway house without a lot of pizazz and let the material stand on its own.

Updated On: 1/12/08 at 09:43 PM

[DeadParrot2]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 9:59pm

I also think the style of show is somewhat foreign to American audiences. It is really something of a parable and allegory, with a healthy dose of melodrama. It's not a bad thing, just different.

I never got the chance to see it in New York, but the London version was truly gut-wrenching. I later saw David Cassidy during its run in Toronto, and while not quite as powerful the second time around, it was still a very moving piece of theatre.

Besides the class system, the other very British element is the time period. Its a very sharp rebukement of the Margaret Thatcher days of 1980's Britain. I also appreciated seeing a "period" show, set in such a recent time as the 1980's, though I guess it wasn't a period show when it premiered.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 10:10pm

I saw Blood Brothers in London a few years ago, and I absolutely love it. It is one of my favorite musicals. I love the transitions from childhood to adulthood. I love the themes of it. I love the feeling of it. It is one of the few musicals that can make me cry.

I noticed people mentioning the recordings. I have three of them, and my personal favorite is actually the 1995 London one. I think it has the strongest performances. In terms of favorite songs...Sunday Afternoon/My Friend, I'm Not Saying a Word, and Take a Letter Miss Jones are probably my three favorites.

Good luck with it, its a beautiful show.

[roquat]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 10:31pm

This is a show you either adore or hate violently--and you really have to see it and experience it; the script and recording alone won't do it for you. I conducted a summer stock production, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes clear during "Tell Me It's Not True" every night (those little dead faces poised right at my eyeline didn't help any.) Every performance got a standing ovation--in fact, this show may hold the record for standing ovations, partly because of the way the material builds, and partly because there are no opportunities to applaud after any of the songs until the end (by that time, so much emotion has built up the audience HAS to release it.)

Frankly, I loved Helen Reddy's performance, which was more humorous and lively than most of the other Mrs. J's and had more musicianship.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 10:42pm

I had the honor to see it a couple of years ago in London. My Brother was spending a year there and a family friend told my brother that we should all see it. The irony is that it wasn't until the show started that my parents realized that they saw it on Broadway way back when.


I think that even though it is considered very British I had no trouble understanding it and it didn't bother me at all.


I can understand the class system. That those born in upper class tend to stay there and thoes on the bottom tend to stay there as well.

But, I do see how people might consider this show to be too British. It is true that in America there is a lot of stress on the whole "American Dream" idea. That you can work hard and be on the bottom and go to the very top.

I do think that this show is a bit too British. I wonder if they took the path that the creative team at Billy Elliot is taking. And that is numbing down the Thatcherisiam and making it more universal to under stand. I think that if they did that then they would have had more success with this show.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 10:44pm

More success with the show!!!! Hello!-it ran two years on Broadway!

[winston89]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 10:59pm

Wickedboy2,


I know the show was on Broadway for two years at the music box.

But, it was considered nothing short of a miricle that it got by two years.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 11:06pm

Thanks everyone.

Like I said, I saw it once a while ago. I'm actually getting a DVD of the same production. It has great people in it (Lenora Nemetz), so I'm excited to revisit.

Hopefully, it'll at least be a challenge.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 1/12/08 at 11:08pm

Bill Kenwright went against Broadway tradition of a shows producer pulling a show straight after bad reviews. He held his ground and the show pulled thu to get a decent run it did make money but not much- for that you have to admire the man.

[senorvoce]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:51am

Absolutely right about Bill Kenwright. He held fast against the negative reviews. The nightly standing ovations helped bridge the gap until the inspired casting of David Cassidy. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Blood Brothers became, for a time, one of the hottest tickets on Broadway. What a time!

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 1:24am

The London production with Kiki Dee and Con O'Neill moved me to tears - knew nothing about it beforehand. One of the best theatrical experiences I've had.

The tour with Petula Clark and the Cassidy brothers in San Francisco . . . one of the worst evenings I've ever spent in the theatre.

The recording I like best is in Hebrew.

[Miss B. L. T. Down]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 1:52am

Are you sure Shaun Cassidy was in the tour? I don't remember him being announced for the tour. I saw the show in Orange County with Petula and David but Shaun definitely wasn't in the cast there.

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 01:52 AM

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 4:14am

The show has been on the road around the UK for the last 18 years without a break. Most theatres take it back year after year, some for up to 4 weeks at a time. It always sells out huge 2000 seat theatres like Southampton etc.

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 9:39am

I saw this show at my high school (when I was still in middle school), and was in tears at the end. They performed it with six narrators, which worked really well. I love "Easy Terms". "Tell Me It's Not True", and "Shoes Upon the Table." Great show!

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 10:02am

Six narrators -that sounds interesting and different! There was a one night concert for its 10th birthday in London and they had 2 for that which really threw people who knew the show for one!

[winston89]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:28pm

Wickedboy2,

so what your saying is that the producer ignored the fact that it got bad reviews and still had it run anyway?

if that is the case then I see it no different from Broadway today. In that good reviews or not producers still keep shows open.

If a show like Wicked only went by reviews then it wouldn't be open right now anywhere in the world.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 1:49pm

Great show, but it makes me cry just listening to the recording. I saw it in London back in high school.

And for some reason I really dislike Eddie. Haha.

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 01:49 PM

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 2:00pm

I saw it in the UK with Barbara Dickson - who gave one of the most heartbreaking performances I have EVER seen. It still haunts me.

Saw it in the US with Pet Clark and the Cassidys... it was painfully awful.


The show is itself isn't strong enough to transcend mediocre actors. I also think an all British cast makes a big difference.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 3:58pm

Winston! Im talking about nearly 15 years ago. A lot of publicity was given to the fact that Kenwright made it known straight away the critics wouldn't hound the show to close early. In most cases, and i say most, producers will run scared and close a show within days of it opening to bad press. Take a look at a list of Broadway closures and the number that shutter within a week or two. Most wil have healthy advances but the producers close them after opening night reviews- its Broadway fact! Of course there are exceptions.
Its very, very rare for a show to close within days in London due to bad reviews though it does happen. The latest 'Rent' had shocking reviews and is only being pulled after nearly 5 months!

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 03:58 PM

[roquat]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 4:02pm

In the production I worked on, the narrator was played by a woman (with lots of key changes, obviously). It brought a nice additional layer to the whole good mother/bad mother/real mother theme.