Blood Brothers
Good evening and welcome to this introduction to the musical Blood Brothers by Willy Russell. It has been directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright.
The production lasts for 2 hours and fifty five minutes including one interval of 20 minutes.
This audio-description service is brought to you by Sightlines and your Audio Describers are Kate Ingram and Marie Abbott
This play celebrates its 29th anniversary this year.
The action takes place in and around Liverpool and later further out into the surrounding countryside and the huge estate of Skelmersdale. It covers the period from the late fifties, through the sixties, and into the seventies.
There’s a cast of fourteen, some of whom play several small roles. One basic set becomes a variety of locations both exterior, and interior. The facades of little terraced houses line each side of a street, running down towards the front of the stage, fanning out from each other at a slight angle, so that the gap between them at the back is narrower. The houses are about 6 metres high at the back rising to over 7 metres at the front of the stage. This gives a false perspective, making the terraced street appear long and steep.
The frontages of the terraced houses rise to just above the first floor windows, where the brickwork ends in a haphazard fashion. There are 2 houses on the right, with an alleyway which runs alongside the nearest house to the audience and is closer to the audience than the house. There is also another alleyway after the second house on the right. There are 3 terraced houses on the left hand-side. All the front doors are the same bottle green, half glazed, with a small net curtain behind the glass, a letterbox in the middle, and black painted doorsteps down onto the street. Narrow balconies with iron railings run along outside the first floors of the houses on the right, and above the entrances to the passageways.
Beyond all the houses is a steel girdered bridge or walkway which occupies the whole of the back of the stage. The bridge is sometimes covered by a brick wall, which is in disrepair and crumbling at the top. Scrawled on the wall are harmless graffiti- Everton is in bold letters. The wall descends from time to time. Above the bridge is a painted city-scape of Liverpool with domes and spires picked out in shades of grey.
The brick red covering of the floor of the stage is scattered with patches of blue and black squares, suggesting both the surface of the street, and at other times, the floor coverings inside the houses. Interiors are created by freestanding walls which are lowered in, and pieces of furniture which create at various times a kitchen, a living room, a town hall, and a prison.
The story of Blood Brothers starts in the fifties in a run down part of Liverpool; the terraced houses are scruffy and dilapidated, paintwork is peeling, railings are rusty and broken. Empty milk bottles stand on the front door steps. In the evening the soft yellow glow of lights filters onto the street through the grubby sash windows.
The house nearest to us on the left hand side of the street is the home of the Johnstones, consisting of single mother Mrs Johnstone and her large brood of children.
At the start of the play Mrs Johnstone already has seven children, and is expecting again, and by her own admission admits that although only twenty five, she already looks more like forty-two. Although her face has few lines, it appears tired. Following the births of her children, her figure has filled out a little from the brief glimpse we get of her at the start of the story as a carefree young woman. Her clothes now come out of a catalogue, plain blue blouses, with floral knee length skirts, sometimes with a wide belt. They are generally hidden under an array of wrap around sleeveless aprons, the type with big deep pockets that tie up around the waist. As Mrs Johnstone is usually either at her cleaning job, or at home doing household chores, she wears comfortable plain flat shoes. She also owns a short woollen coat in a turquoise and fawn houndstooth pattern which has a matching material belt. Maureen Nolan plays Mrs Johnstone
Mrs Johnstone’s children are played by adult actors, who play the characters at all ages, from child through to grown-ups.
As children they are lively and unselfconscious, roaming round the streets, enjoying their boisterous physical games; a mass of grubby faces and skinned knees. As the story unfolds and they grow up their clothes change, their movements become more controlled, but their individual mannerisms remain recognisable.
The youngest Johnstone is Mickey aged seven, a young scallywag with a cheeky face, under a mop of scruffy uncombed hair. He has a moss green polo shirt, filthy fawn shorts with ragged hems, topped off with an enormous hand- me-down bottle green, knitted jumper with a low round neck and huge holes in it. It is stretched out wide at the hem, having been pulled down to keep his knees warm on many occasions. One of his socks is pulled up, the other round his ankle, and he wears tatty navy pumps. The youngest of the family and often playing alone out in the streets, Mickey loves play acting, pretending to be a cowboy, mounting and galloping on his trusty steed, using his fingers as pistols, firing them in all directions.
Aged fourteen Mickey wears dark denim jeans, a white shirt and loosely knotted tie under his black blazer - complete with school badge sewn on the breast pocket. A gawky and self conscious teenager, he spends a lot of the time kicking around, hands in pockets, carefully slicking back his hair with brylcream, but staring steadfastly at the ground in the presence of any pretty girls. As a man Mickey dons a green Parka Jacket, and puts on a black donkey jacket as he goes off to work, still with his hands in his pockets, still with a cheeky grin. Sean Jones plays Mickey.
Sammy is the oldest boy in the family. He is a tough and streetwise lad, with a thatch of uncombed hair. When we first meet him, he is nine, tall and is wearing dirty fawn short trousers, and a filthy moth-eaten blue and grey striped T-shirt. He has black socks and pumps. As the leader of the gang Sammy is a natural bully; bigger than the other lads he gets his way with threats and the liberal use of his fists.
Aged sixteen he is found in skintight light denim trousers, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket with the words “Status Quo” spelt out with small silver studs on the back. His hair is Brylcreamed up into a teddy-boy style quiff. Daniel Taylor plays Sammy.
Their older sister Donna Marie is aged eleven when we first meet her, her blonde hair tied back into a pigtail. She is tall and slim and wears a short red and green patterned skirt with a tight fitting green sweater, red socks and white shoes.
By the time she is eighteen Donna Marie has aged dramatically - no longer slim, she dresses in a sensible floral blouse and toning skirt, under which she wears slightly wrinkled tanned tights. Tori Hargreaves plays Donna Marie and also Miss Jones.
Mickey’s best friend is Linda, who is the same age as he. She is a clear skinned fresh faced girl with blonde hair tied up into two bunches with red ribbons. She wears a short white baby doll style dress over her slender frame, with a small red ribbon at the neck and a matching red cardigan. She has white bobby socks and white pumps. Although Linda is more tidily dressed than the Johnstones, she is just as wild, and eager to be part of all the boys’ games.
At fourteen Linda is every inch the temptress in her grey school mini-skirt showing off her slim legs, tight white blouse with tie only half knotted, and school blazer. In contrast to the bashful Mickey she is quite aware of her shapely figure, swaying her hips ostentatiously whenever he is around, an alluring mixture of confident young lady, and helpless little girl that she hopes will encourage Mickey’s protective instincts. Danielle Corlass plays Linda.
A few streets away is a more residential area of the city, home to the well to do Lyons family, where Mrs Johnstone works as a cleaner. The walkway along the first floor level of the right hand row of houses becomes the balcony of the Lyon’s smart house.
For the interior of the house a back wall, papered in floral pastel colours is lowered in. The dining room is created with an oriental rug, two upright mahogany chairs and a dark wood rectangular table, with a lace tablecloth over a damask under-cloth and topped with a white floral centre-piece. A plush blue sofa and rug are moved in for the living room.
Mrs Lyons is in her mid-thirties, with shoulder-length hair secured back with a silver hair clip. Her makeup is perfect, and understated. Pendant pearl earrings hang from her small neat ears. Mrs Lyons is always immaculately dressed. First seen in a navy blue wool two piece, with a cameo broach at the lapel, and shiny black court shoes, she sometimes drapes a cashmere cardigan over her shoulders. Never the type of woman to be seen wearing the same outfit twice, Mrs Lyons appears in an array of colourful silk blouses and toning pleated skirts. Despite her perfectly presented serene exterior, Mrs Lyons hands often work together nervously, twisting and squeezing her fingers till they are red. Kate Jarman plays Mrs Lyons
Mr Lyons is a conventionally well-presented businessman, a couple of years older than his wife, with short back and sides and a frank open face. A solid easygoing man who spends most of his time away at his office, he is a kindly contrast to his wife’s intense nature. He wears a white shirt, black trousers, waistcoat and jacket, with black shoes. When not working, Mr Lyons puts on cardigans in greens and fawns. Both he and Mrs Lyons have matching brown sheepskin coats. Kevin Pallister plays Mr Lyons
Mr and Mrs Lyons have one son Eddie, a well kept and angelic looking boy of seven, with neatly cut shiny hair. He wears smart light grey flannel shorts, a crisp white shirt and striped school tie, with a matching grey sleeveless pullover, knee length woolen socks and shiny black shoes. He has a Timex watch on his left wrist. Unlike the wild kids who roam the nearby streets, Eddie is a quiet shy boy who trots sedately around, readier to offer a handshake than thumb his nose or stick out his tongue; however his eyes grow round with admiration at the anarchic exploits of Mickey and his mates.
At fourteen Eddie is well on the way to becoming a junior copy of his father. Still neat and tidy, but now in public school uniform, he wears long grey trousers, and a black blazer with pale birds-egg blue ribboning around the edging. He has a heavy black serge duffel coat.
Eddie grows into a confident self possessed young man, wearing a tie even at university, as well as fawn corduroy trousers, and light green shirt, under a jade green suede jacket, with dark brown leather brogue shoes. Joel Benedict plays Eddie
Finally, the Narrator of the piece, a slim man with dark eyes and an impassive sombre face, is dressed in a black single-breasted suit, with crisp white shirt, black tie and shoes. When not narrating the story, he hovers, his eyes fixed like a hawk, watching the action, and often orchestrating the path that Mrs Johnstone’s life is to take, as if assuming the role of fate. Kristofer Harding plays the narrator.
At the start of the second half of the show the terraced houses are lining a street in the big new settlement of Skelmersdale outside Liverpool. The doors are now pale blue, and instead of the Liverpool skyline beyond, the end of the street looks out over rolling green fields and blue sky. Skelmersdale is the Johnstone’s new home, and Mrs Johnstone’s small kitchen is suggested by freestanding kitchen units that slide on from the left; cupboards, sink and work surfaces in white formica.
We also visit a few other locations - The local bus is created by a line of scruffy red plastic covered bench seats, the driver holding a large steering wheel in his hand. Five shabby desks represent the school classroom. Flashing neon signs, and illuminated shapes of a big wheel and a rollercoaster appear high above the houses to become a fairground.
High back walls in drab colours and panelled in shiny mahogany are the council chamber at the town hall, and a grey wall with a door and plain square table with metal legs and metal framed chairs make up the visiting room at a prison.
The music is played live, with the band down in the sunken orchestra pit set between the front of the stage and the auditorium.
All the other parts, including children, a milkman, a bus conductor, bailiffs, council members, policemen and university students, are played by members of the cast.
Good evening and welcome to this introduction to the musical Blood Brothers by Willy Russell. It has been directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright.
The production lasts for 2 hours and fifty five minutes including one interval of 20 minutes.
This audio-description service is brought to you by Sightlines and your Audio Describers are Kate Ingram and Marie Abbott
This play celebrates its 29th anniversary this year.
The action takes place in and around Liverpool and later further out into the surrounding countryside and the huge estate of Skelmersdale. It covers the period from the late fifties, through the sixties, and into the seventies.
There’s a cast of fourteen, some of whom play several small roles. One basic set becomes a variety of locations both exterior, and interior. The facades of little terraced houses line each side of a street, running down towards the front of the stage, fanning out from each other at a slight angle, so that the gap between them at the back is narrower. The houses are about 6 metres high at the back rising to over 7 metres at the front of the stage. This gives a false perspective, making the terraced street appear long and steep.
The frontages of the terraced houses rise to just above the first floor windows, where the brickwork ends in a haphazard fashion. There are 2 houses on the right, with an alleyway which runs alongside the nearest house to the audience and is closer to the audience than the house. There is also another alleyway after the second house on the right. There are 3 terraced houses on the left hand-side. All the front doors are the same bottle green, half glazed, with a small net curtain behind the glass, a letterbox in the middle, and black painted doorsteps down onto the street. Narrow balconies with iron railings run along outside the first floors of the houses on the right, and above the entrances to the passageways.
Beyond all the houses is a steel girdered bridge or walkway which occupies the whole of the back of the stage. The bridge is sometimes covered by a brick wall, which is in disrepair and crumbling at the top. Scrawled on the wall are harmless graffiti- Everton is in bold letters. The wall descends from time to time. Above the bridge is a painted city-scape of Liverpool with domes and spires picked out in shades of grey.
The brick red covering of the floor of the stage is scattered with patches of blue and black squares, suggesting both the surface of the street, and at other times, the floor coverings inside the houses. Interiors are created by freestanding walls which are lowered in, and pieces of furniture which create at various times a kitchen, a living room, a town hall, and a prison.
The story of Blood Brothers starts in the fifties in a run down part of Liverpool; the terraced houses are scruffy and dilapidated, paintwork is peeling, railings are rusty and broken. Empty milk bottles stand on the front door steps. In the evening the soft yellow glow of lights filters onto the street through the grubby sash windows.
The house nearest to us on the left hand side of the street is the home of the Johnstones, consisting of single mother Mrs Johnstone and her large brood of children.
At the start of the play Mrs Johnstone already has seven children, and is expecting again, and by her own admission admits that although only twenty five, she already looks more like forty-two. Although her face has few lines, it appears tired. Following the births of her children, her figure has filled out a little from the brief glimpse we get of her at the start of the story as a carefree young woman. Her clothes now come out of a catalogue, plain blue blouses, with floral knee length skirts, sometimes with a wide belt. They are generally hidden under an array of wrap around sleeveless aprons, the type with big deep pockets that tie up around the waist. As Mrs Johnstone is usually either at her cleaning job, or at home doing household chores, she wears comfortable plain flat shoes. She also owns a short woollen coat in a turquoise and fawn houndstooth pattern which has a matching material belt. Maureen Nolan plays Mrs Johnstone
Mrs Johnstone’s children are played by adult actors, who play the characters at all ages, from child through to grown-ups.
As children they are lively and unselfconscious, roaming round the streets, enjoying their boisterous physical games; a mass of grubby faces and skinned knees. As the story unfolds and they grow up their clothes change, their movements become more controlled, but their individual mannerisms remain recognisable.
The youngest Johnstone is Mickey aged seven, a young scallywag with a cheeky face, under a mop of scruffy uncombed hair. He has a moss green polo shirt, filthy fawn shorts with ragged hems, topped off with an enormous hand- me-down bottle green, knitted jumper with a low round neck and huge holes in it. It is stretched out wide at the hem, having been pulled down to keep his knees warm on many occasions. One of his socks is pulled up, the other round his ankle, and he wears tatty navy pumps. The youngest of the family and often playing alone out in the streets, Mickey loves play acting, pretending to be a cowboy, mounting and galloping on his trusty steed, using his fingers as pistols, firing them in all directions.
Aged fourteen Mickey wears dark denim jeans, a white shirt and loosely knotted tie under his black blazer - complete with school badge sewn on the breast pocket. A gawky and self conscious teenager, he spends a lot of the time kicking around, hands in pockets, carefully slicking back his hair with brylcream, but staring steadfastly at the ground in the presence of any pretty girls. As a man Mickey dons a green Parka Jacket, and puts on a black donkey jacket as he goes off to work, still with his hands in his pockets, still with a cheeky grin. Sean Jones plays Mickey.
Sammy is the oldest boy in the family. He is a tough and streetwise lad, with a thatch of uncombed hair. When we first meet him, he is nine, tall and is wearing dirty fawn short trousers, and a filthy moth-eaten blue and grey striped T-shirt. He has black socks and pumps. As the leader of the gang Sammy is a natural bully; bigger than the other lads he gets his way with threats and the liberal use of his fists.
Aged sixteen he is found in skintight light denim trousers, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket with the words “Status Quo” spelt out with small silver studs on the back. His hair is Brylcreamed up into a teddy-boy style quiff. Daniel Taylor plays Sammy.
Their older sister Donna Marie is aged eleven when we first meet her, her blonde hair tied back into a pigtail. She is tall and slim and wears a short red and green patterned skirt with a tight fitting green sweater, red socks and white shoes.
By the time she is eighteen Donna Marie has aged dramatically - no longer slim, she dresses in a sensible floral blouse and toning skirt, under which she wears slightly wrinkled tanned tights. Tori Hargreaves plays Donna Marie and also Miss Jones.
Mickey’s best friend is Linda, who is the same age as he. She is a clear skinned fresh faced girl with blonde hair tied up into two bunches with red ribbons. She wears a short white baby doll style dress over her slender frame, with a small red ribbon at the neck and a matching red cardigan. She has white bobby socks and white pumps. Although Linda is more tidily dressed than the Johnstones, she is just as wild, and eager to be part of all the boys’ games.
At fourteen Linda is every inch the temptress in her grey school mini-skirt showing off her slim legs, tight white blouse with tie only half knotted, and school blazer. In contrast to the bashful Mickey she is quite aware of her shapely figure, swaying her hips ostentatiously whenever he is around, an alluring mixture of confident young lady, and helpless little girl that she hopes will encourage Mickey’s protective instincts. Danielle Corlass plays Linda.
A few streets away is a more residential area of the city, home to the well to do Lyons family, where Mrs Johnstone works as a cleaner. The walkway along the first floor level of the right hand row of houses becomes the balcony of the Lyon’s smart house.
For the interior of the house a back wall, papered in floral pastel colours is lowered in. The dining room is created with an oriental rug, two upright mahogany chairs and a dark wood rectangular table, with a lace tablecloth over a damask under-cloth and topped with a white floral centre-piece. A plush blue sofa and rug are moved in for the living room.
Mrs Lyons is in her mid-thirties, with shoulder-length hair secured back with a silver hair clip. Her makeup is perfect, and understated. Pendant pearl earrings hang from her small neat ears. Mrs Lyons is always immaculately dressed. First seen in a navy blue wool two piece, with a cameo broach at the lapel, and shiny black court shoes, she sometimes drapes a cashmere cardigan over her shoulders. Never the type of woman to be seen wearing the same outfit twice, Mrs Lyons appears in an array of colourful silk blouses and toning pleated skirts. Despite her perfectly presented serene exterior, Mrs Lyons hands often work together nervously, twisting and squeezing her fingers till they are red. Kate Jarman plays Mrs Lyons
Mr Lyons is a conventionally well-presented businessman, a couple of years older than his wife, with short back and sides and a frank open face. A solid easygoing man who spends most of his time away at his office, he is a kindly contrast to his wife’s intense nature. He wears a white shirt, black trousers, waistcoat and jacket, with black shoes. When not working, Mr Lyons puts on cardigans in greens and fawns. Both he and Mrs Lyons have matching brown sheepskin coats. Kevin Pallister plays Mr Lyons
Mr and Mrs Lyons have one son Eddie, a well kept and angelic looking boy of seven, with neatly cut shiny hair. He wears smart light grey flannel shorts, a crisp white shirt and striped school tie, with a matching grey sleeveless pullover, knee length woolen socks and shiny black shoes. He has a Timex watch on his left wrist. Unlike the wild kids who roam the nearby streets, Eddie is a quiet shy boy who trots sedately around, readier to offer a handshake than thumb his nose or stick out his tongue; however his eyes grow round with admiration at the anarchic exploits of Mickey and his mates.
At fourteen Eddie is well on the way to becoming a junior copy of his father. Still neat and tidy, but now in public school uniform, he wears long grey trousers, and a black blazer with pale birds-egg blue ribboning around the edging. He has a heavy black serge duffel coat.
Eddie grows into a confident self possessed young man, wearing a tie even at university, as well as fawn corduroy trousers, and light green shirt, under a jade green suede jacket, with dark brown leather brogue shoes. Joel Benedict plays Eddie
Finally, the Narrator of the piece, a slim man with dark eyes and an impassive sombre face, is dressed in a black single-breasted suit, with crisp white shirt, black tie and shoes. When not narrating the story, he hovers, his eyes fixed like a hawk, watching the action, and often orchestrating the path that Mrs Johnstone’s life is to take, as if assuming the role of fate. Kristofer Harding plays the narrator.
At the start of the second half of the show the terraced houses are lining a street in the big new settlement of Skelmersdale outside Liverpool. The doors are now pale blue, and instead of the Liverpool skyline beyond, the end of the street looks out over rolling green fields and blue sky. Skelmersdale is the Johnstone’s new home, and Mrs Johnstone’s small kitchen is suggested by freestanding kitchen units that slide on from the left; cupboards, sink and work surfaces in white formica.
We also visit a few other locations - The local bus is created by a line of scruffy red plastic covered bench seats, the driver holding a large steering wheel in his hand. Five shabby desks represent the school classroom. Flashing neon signs, and illuminated shapes of a big wheel and a rollercoaster appear high above the houses to become a fairground.
High back walls in drab colours and panelled in shiny mahogany are the council chamber at the town hall, and a grey wall with a door and plain square table with metal legs and metal framed chairs make up the visiting room at a prison.
The music is played live, with the band down in the sunken orchestra pit set between the front of the stage and the auditorium.
All the other parts, including children, a milkman, a bus conductor, bailiffs, council members, policemen and university students, are played by members of the cast.