Oxford Playscripts: Blood Brothers

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Edward 'Eddie' Lyons, Mickey's twin brother who was given away by Mrs Johnstone, and brought up by Mrs Lyons; he becomes blood brothers with Mickey (his actual brother).

The Broadway production opened on 25 April 1993 at the Music Box Theatre and closed on 30 April 1995 after 840 performances. Another working-class portrayal of the British 1980s economic crisis is the movie Billy Elliot, and the recent musical of the same name.

They both fall in love with the same girl, causing a rift in their friendship and leading to the tragic death of both brothers. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen which ran from 27 September 2003 to 9 June 2004 with Jitka Smutná [ cs] and Stanislava Fořtová-Topinková [ cs] alternating in the role of Johnstonová.

Blood Brothers, by the author of Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine, is a haunting rags-to-riches tragedy of our times. Russell says that his work was based on a one-act play that he read as a child "about two babies switched at birth . Blood Brothers the musical has been and continues to be extremely successful, as it has played continuously to London audiences since 1988 and has become the longest-running show ever at the Phoenix Theatre, its current home.Meanwhile, Mickey refuses to pay attention or co-operate during a class in his school, insulting the teacher, and is suspended. It played more than 10,000 performances in London, making it the third longest-running musical to ever play in the West End. While talking with Mrs Lyons, she mentions she's found out she's carrying twins, but can only afford to raise one more child. Secretly, he is revealing his true feelings but has not acted on them out of respect for Mickey ("I'm Not Saying A Word").

Johnstone was played by other 1970s pop singers, with King and Reddy later playing the role on Broadway. Michael 'Mickey' Johnstone, the youngest Johnstone child who is kept by his mother; he becomes blood brothers with Eddie (his actual brother). To boost box office sales during the run, Kenwright persuaded Petula Clark to make her Broadway debut, replacing Lawrence as Mrs. The Narrator introduces the “story of the Johnstone twins” to the audience and the play then flashes back to the late 1950s.The Winter of Discontent of 1979, during which labor unions led strikes against pay caps meant to stimulate economic recovery, would certainly have been on Russell’s mind as he wrote his musical. Written during a period of huge changes in society and politics, Blood Brothers draws the audience’s attention to the detrimental effect that social inequality can have on people’s lives. Johnstone stands her ground and declares she will not be paid off again, stating that she has made a good life for herself, an enraged Mrs.

In 1994 a production of Blood Brothers directed by Bill Kenwright - who had overseen the play in the West End and on Broadway - ran in Melbourne and Sydney in the summer and fall having played dates in Wellington and Auckland NZ that spring: the cast included Stefan Dennis as Mickey, Delia Hannah as Mrs. During the early 1970s, the Johnstone family are moved from the condemned inner-city slums of Liverpool to a new council house in the nearby overspill town of Skelmersdale ("Bright New Day").The bond continues when the boys are teenagers and both live in the countryside, despite them both being in love with Mickey’s neighbour Linda.