Wow, is the only way to sum up the first night of the touring production of Blood Brothers at the Ipswich Regent.
Willy Russell’s tale of Liverpool life started as a play for schools in 1981, and then in 1983 he turned it into a full scale musical. The show has toured all over the world, with several long runs in the West End, and is one of only three musicals to surpass the 10,000 performance milestone.
If you don’t know the story then here’s a little about it:
When Liverpool mother Mrs Johnstone is deserted by her husband and left to provide for their seven children, she takes a job as a housekeeper to make a bit of extra money. But when she discovers she’s pregnant again – this time with twins- she enters into a desperate and secret pact with her employer, Mrs Lyons. Years of superstition and hurt, for both families, follow until the dramatic and fatal climax of the sorry tale .
As you can imagine the story is emotionally charged and this production has that emotion right from the start. The cast bring so much heart into every role and you believe them completely whether they are playing kids or adults. As each character ages throughout we travel with them, spellbound by the music, acting and performance.
The quality of the voices in this show are phenomenal. Special mention must be made to Sarah Jane Buckley, who was playing Mrs Johnstone on Tuesday evening. You couldn’t take your eyes off her and the power and feeling in her voice was out of this world.
Another stand out performance was Sean Jones as Mickey, the playful, cheeky twin who is brought up on the wrong side of the tracks. The journey he goes on is one of the most heartbreaking in Blood Brothers, and the way Sean portrays this is truly outstanding, and a masterclass in acting.
The rest of the cast are fantastic too; it’s a real ensemble piece and when, at the end, Mrs Johnstone sings the big closing number and the cast join her on stage, you feel a real sense of that ensemble.
The set is also brilliant with the lights of the Liver Building twinkling in the background and the staging keeps the action fast paced and free flowing.
Make sure you take hankies; it’s a hell of an emotional rollercoaster, and as we rose to our feet to give a well deserved standing ovation, there were a lot of tears being wiped away, including my own.
Whatever you do go and see this show before it moves on after 23rd September.
Tickets are available on the Ipswich Regent website – click through here to book.
SUFFOLK THEATRE 