Review: Blood Brothers - Liverpool Empire

Blood Brothers - Liverpool Empire Theatre, until 20th November.

Since it burst onto the stage in 1983 the people of Liverpool have taken Blood Brothers to their hearts like no other musical.

In those 27 years this heartwarming, funny, chilling, tale of Willy Russell's cursed twins has been woven into the city's self-image.

Mingled with the life-blood of the city, it could indeed be said to form part of its DNA.

The saga of the Johnstone clan with its loving, honest, yet down-trodden matriarch, forced to surrender a twin to informal adoption, with ultimately disastrous consequences, strikes a strong chord to this day.

Set against a backdrop of Liverpool and Skelmersdale New Town in 1970s, the musical charts a period of enormous social and industrial turmoil, and is a wry parody of a class-conscious society that was, even by the 1980s quickly fading, and has all but vanished entirely today.

With Melanie Chisholm delivering her acclaimed West End performance as Mrs Johnstone for the first time in Liverpool, near the place where she was brought-up in Widnes, expectations were high among a packed house at The Empire.

During a six-month run in the West End, marking her acting debut, the former Spice Girl "Mel C", netted glowing reviews and an Olivier Award nomination, before embarking on this intermittent national tour of the show.

Here we have a "Liverpool" girl playing a knock-em-dead role. She is the lynchpin of a show that is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of the neck, with memorable numbers, including "Marilyn Monroe" and "Tell Me It's Not True"

Could anything go wrong?

Melanie's take on the role was certainly very fresh and invigorating, and quite different from those that remain imprinted in the memory from previous shows. Few will ever forget spine-tingling encounters with the likes of Barbara Dixon, Kiki Dee, Lyn Paul and Linda Nolan.

Whether Melanie C's performance compares with the best is, in reality, hardly a matter for debate. Perhaps expecting her to match those towering figures was just too big an ask. Whether her rendition will live in memory is another matter. I suspect not.

Other, questions pertinent to this show, deserve straight answers.

Does she "inhabit" the role? Not convincingly.
Does she explore the full magnitude of the score? Far from it.
Does she make the hairs stand-up on the back the neck? Infrequently.
Does the show bring a tear to the eye? Yes, occasionally.
Is it a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre? Yes, unequivocally.

Credit for the enjoyment must go, in large part, to the Blood Brothers themselves: Sean Jones (Mickey) and Paul Davies (Eddie), who were both superb and very strongly backed by Robbie Scotcher (Narrator) and the rest of the cast.

Bob Thompson's direction is slick and masterful and exploits Andly Walmsley's ever-changing set to the nth degree, while the costumes are spot-on.

The lighting is very atmospheric, though the reflections of spotlights bounced-up onto the backdrop from the highly-polished stage surface provided occasional distractions.

The Empire's acoustics are often a challenge for touring companies but Sound Designer Ben Harrison achieved excellent results, employing head mics on all the players.

Sadly, the music itself sometimes appeared a little thin and clearly "synthetic". One wonders whether it would not be prudent for Bill Kenwright to swell the ensemble to more than eight musicians for a piece in which the haunting score is absolutely central.

It could certainly have helped to bolster Melanie C, especially in those numbers where her vocals lack range, particularly in delivering the resonance and rich timbre of some the lower-register notes.

Blood Brothers runs at the Liverpool Empire from 8th to 20th November, on stint in a national tour, that opened in Buxton on 7th June this year. It re-appears at The Lowry in Manchester for six nights starting on 21st of February.

Click Rating: 7/10

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