Blood Brothers was originally written by Willy Russell in the early 1980's and has gone on to be one of 
the defining features of the West End. Originally intended to be a school play but revamped into a musical It first opened at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1983 but it would be a while before the foundations were laid for a West End hit.
Reviews of the show were moderate and audiences were relatively cool torwards it until a certain producer called Bill Kenwright came along, feeling that there was more to Blood Brothers than people realised. He resurrected the show, sending it on a UK tour and eventually opened it in the West End again, this time at what is now known as the Noel Coward Theatre and on this occasion, the end result was magnificent. In 1991 Blood Brothers transfered to the Phoenix Theatre and continues to pack audiences in there to this very day, cementing itself as an iconic part of the West End - and one of the longest running shows in town.
The story of Blood Brothers focuses around the lives of two twin brothers who grow up to lead very different lives. The show opens on a dramatic set piece involving a showdown on a dark Liverpool alley. We soon learn of the events leading to this centrepiece as we go back in time to meet Mrs Johnstone, a single mother barely making ends meet who has just learnt that she is pregnant with twins. Mrs Johnstone fears she will be unable to raise them properly in her current conditions and seeks the advice of her wealthy employer, Mrs Lyons. This upper class woman, who employs Johnstone as a cleaner is unable to have children of her own and hatches a plan to raise one of the twins as her own, relieving the pressure of raising two children close to the bread line. Mrs Johnstone agrees and when the boys are born they grow up as best friends, unaware that they are in fact twin brothers.
The musical highlights the differences between the social divide as one of the boys lives a good life, gaining good grades, attending an Oxbridge University and landing a high flying job while the other grows up on the dole, landing himself in prison and without much hope. It soon transpires that it is perhaps class struggle that will lead to a final showdown on a dark, eventful evening.
Blood Brothers is praised by critics and audiences alike, who agree that it is one of the best musicals ever to grace the west end stage. Over the years, it has seen countless people pass through its doors, whilst touring versions have delighted audiences across the UK and beyond. Add to that numerous nominations for Tony Awards on the other side of the Atlantic and the true scale of the phenomenon can be felt. It even regularly attracts big names to its stage, with former Spice Girl Mel C being one of the names attached to the production in 2009, with previous performers including the likes of Anthony Costa and all four of the Nolan Sisters.
It is an intense and poweful journey to go on, with the class struggle of the 1960s and 1970s amplified through the powerful musical score and narrative, taking audiences on a compelling ride to the very powerful climax of the show.
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