I saw the London stage version of "Blood Brothers" last summer and left the Adelphi Theater completely and satisfyingly exhausted from the emotions that the story wrung out of me. What I loved most was the uncalulated, "sorry but this is life" attitude, and the total believability of all of the characters. Willy Russell lovingly crafted every aspect of the story. The premise of the plot has been done time and again, but Russell magically shows us how everything old is new again--and brilliantly so. These are people we know, these are our friends, our neighbors, perhaps even ourselves. Oddly, the show didn't endear itself to Broadway, but it has been running since the 80's in London. Another point of interest: if you look hard enough, you can find three Original Cast versions. The first, starring Kiki Dee, another (I believe from the Broadway version), and an "international version" starring Petula Clark, David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy. Willy Russell plays the role of the Narrator, and he has a magnificent voice. This last version is my favorite. With real life brothers taking on such an emotionally charged project, Petula Clark as the tragic Mrs. Johnstone, and Willy Russell haunting the stage, the electricity flies. Backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the experience is nothing short of magic. "Blood Brothers", like "Phantom of the Opera", "Les Miserables" and "Chicago" is definitely a more than one time show. The young man sitting next to me had seen "Blood Brothers" for the sixteenth time! And still, he had tears in his eyes, as did I. Read the book; it won't ruin the play for you. If you're lucky enough to get to London, by all means make "Blood Brothers" top priority for the show to see.
