Willy Russell's Blood Brothers has been delighting audiences world-wide since 1983 - and it's easy to see why.
So, did YOU 'hear the story of the Johnstone twins? As like each other as two new pins, of one womb born, on the self same day, how one was kept and one given away?'
An odd premise for a play you might think but in attempting to answer the age-old question, is it birth or upbringing that makes us what we are, the audience is subjected to a gamut of emotions that, at times, are as hilarious as they are heart-rending.
And while the tragic conclusion is never in doubt - the opening sequence makes that clear - the whole is a highly entertaining and dramatic piece of theatre.
Mickey is the twin raised by his mother, Mrs Johnstone; Edward, or Eddie, as we come to know him, by Mrs Lyons - two women from very different backgrounds; one rich, the other poor.
But against all the odds, Mickey and Eddie meet, become friends and, as the title suggests, blood brothers - a scene, incidentally, that is quite comical. Trouble, though, is about to rear its ugly head.
Consequently, Blood Brothers is a play of vastly contrasting halves - the second, darker and increasingly forbidding, as events spiral towards that inevitable conclusion, however much we might wish otherwise.
But what makes it so successful is the continuity of the characters - of Mickey and Eddie, in particular, who are played by the same actors throughout.
The idea of grown men as young boys, in short trousers and long socks, might seem strange, but with Russell's excellent and perceptive script that perfectly captures the essence of youth, it works very well, never once descending into farce.
A script, by the way, that is delivered in a delightful Liverpudlian accent. And it's during this childhood period that some of the funniest moments occur.
Of course, pivotal to the plot, is Mrs Johnstone, 'a mother so cruel there's a stone in place of her heart', and the audience is asked to judge her - to decide if she is, indeed, as cruel as her actions might suggest, or merely the victim of her own naievity and wretched personal circumstances. What, I wonder, will you decide?
"RUSH" THE MUSICAL MAY 2009
This powerful professional musical tells the moving story of immigrant gold miners and their quest for instant fortune. With a strong storyline and a modern score, it demands the resources of a professional, semi-pro or large amateur group to be successful.
In 1862 the goldfields were a savage and unforgiving environment. Duncan and Sarah McKenzie arrive in the 'new country' when Jackie O'Fea brings news of the gold strikes. Leaving his family for the diggings with a promise to return, Duncan seizes his chance for freedom from the near-slavery of the 19th century working class life. He is joined by his friends Nathan and Millie Hall, who along with O'Fea and his nephews, the Lomax brothers, head off to seek their fortune.
At the diggings, tragedy strikes. Nathan is drowned in a massive flood on the Arrow
River leaving Millie a widow. She is cared for by the camp and particularly by Joe Lawson who cuts her wood for the coming winter. But Millie's winter comes early when she is assaulted by O'Fea with only the Lomax brothers as witnesses.
Meanwhile Sarah thinks of what could have been. She reflects on her childhood as she struggles to support her children. When Duncan strikes gold, his euphoria is short lived as a young miner Dan Nolan is murdered by the Lomax brothers. Duncan is accused of the crime, and after an absurd trial, he is sentenced to hang. Sarah tries for an appeal but fails.
After Duncan's death a bond develops between Millie and Sarah. She tells Sarah of her ordeal with O'Fea and the Lomaxes. As the Lomax brothers sleep a woman enters the cabin and shoots them both. O'Fea fights her and with some help from the 'spirit of the times' O'Fea meets his end. Love has blossomed between Millie and Lawson who decide to leave the goldfields together as Sarah considers her past and looks to the future.
The gold rush in New Zealand may not be quite as well known as the Californian gold rush, but exactly the same dreams, desperation and desires happened there as in California.
