REVIEW | Blood Brothers, UK tour - Peterborough New Theatre
- Harry Brogan
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
AD | Tickets gifted in exchange of an honest review
I had the opportunity to attend ‘Blood Brothers’ at The New Theatre in Peterborough. As someone who studied the play for both GCSE English and GCSE Drama in secondary school, I was eager with excitement as I sat down and awaited the musical at Peterborough’s New Theatre, and Blood Brothers did not disappoint.
Blood Brothers is a musical that will leave you thinking about the complexity of social inequalities of class, gender and poverty which impact individuals in both 1980s Liverpool and a Peterborough audience in contemporary society.
Blood Brothers was written by Willy Russell – who was born into a working-class family with limited educational qualifications. Influenced by music of his time, including The Beatles and cultural icons such as Marilyn Monroe – pop music and Monroe are popular motifs throughout the musical, with various catchy songs which will have you hooked. The parallels between Russell’s working-class background can be seen through the character of Mickey (played by Sean Jones), as the musical takes the audience on a journey of Mickey’s working-class identity. The nature versus nurture debate is prominent throughout the play, as the story follows the two twins, Mickey and Eddie (played by Joe Sleight), who experience different upbringings due to their social class, despite being biological twins. The themes of social class, going ‘on the dole’, the rise in the price of oil and the crash of the economic climate were prevalent in 1980s Liverpool, which are reflected in the musical – and these themes are even more relevant than ever during the current cost of living, post-pandemic economic climate in the UK in 2025. Furthermore, the patriarchal set up of the Lyons family reflects stereotypical gender roles, which were prominent during the 80s in Liverpool. However, patriarchal gender roles are dismantled as Mrs Johnstone (played by Vivienne Carlyle) is portrayed as a hard-working single mother who strives to provide for her children despite the cycle of poverty and deprivation.
The importance of these themes made me feel emotional as an audience member, which resulted in Blood Brothers having the power to portray relatable, hard-hitting issues of class, gender and inequality which are prevalent in any era, from the 1980s to 2025. For working-class women in the audience who can relate to the struggles faced by Mrs Johnstone and her children, such as poverty in 2025, the musical is inspiring, poignant, powerful and uplifting.
Mickey Johnstone (played by Sean Jones) and Edward ‘Eddie’ Lyons (played by Joe Sleight) conveyed a stellar performance of the twins. The relationship between the pair was comedic, youthful, playful and hilarious, as the narrative chronological structure showed the timeline of the twins, from age seven nearly eight up to adulthood. Jones and Sleight portrayed the audience with hilarious moments, with many jokes which were suitable for a secondary school audience and the older adults in the room. Jones’ capability to own the stage through his comedic mannerisms, movements and sound effects were a light comedic relief for the audience.
However, the omnipresent narrator, played by Seán Keany, was constantly lurking to remind the audience of the dramatic irony of the play, due to the cyclical structure that is revealed in the beginning of the play, that nothing was as positive as it seems. Keany had a powerhouse of a voice, and the ability of the character to break the fourth wall and hook the audience into the storyline captivated me to a world away from the theatre.
Vivienne Carlyle portrayed the role of Mrs Johnstone with raw, captivating emotion. The mother-son relationship with Mickey is portrayed throughout the play, as the pair take the audience on a journey through Mickey’s unstable working-class life. There was not a dry eye in the house during each musical number that Carlyle performed.
Similarly, the relationship between Eddie and Mrs Lyons (played by Sarah Jane Buckley) portrayed a shift in proximity, portraying the difference that Eddie feels towards his mother, as he feels closer to Mrs Johnstone and friends Mickey and Linda. Sleight (Eddie) and Buckley (Mrs Lyons) portrayed the middle-class family dynamic realistically with raw emotion, as Eddie’s anger towards his mother was portrayed exceptionally.
Furthermore, a particular favourite scene of mine is the ‘Kid’s Game’ scene. The chaos and brilliance of the scene is executed wonderfully, as the kids run around the stage playing with guns. The music, lighting and setting for this scene is incredible, as the audience is transported back to their childhood through the innocence of playing childhood games in the backdrop of a complex society that is divided by class and difference. The friendship dynamics between Linda, Mickey, Edward and Sammy flourishes beautifully throughout the play and the Kid’s Game song executes the naivety of childhood with complexity and realism, which is portrayed exceptionally by the cast. Themes such as growing up in an unstable society are prevalent throughout the musical, which is relatable for working-class teenagers in the audience. The Kid’s Game scene allows the young characters to transcend class barriers and form authentic, flourishing friendships and relationships which develop into adulthood. James Ledsham (Sammy), Gemma Brodrick (Linda), Sean Jones (Mickey), Joe Sleight (Eddie) had the ability to portray the themes of childhood, adolescence and growing up with a raw emotion that was relatable to a young audience.
The set designs (by Andrew Walmsley) reflect 1980s Liverpool accurately, through proscenium arch raked staging which shows the backdrop of working-class Liverpool. Being in the audience of Blood Brothers automatically transfers you back to the 80s – you feel as if you are living in Liverpool and experiencing the same struggles as the characters before you. The set transferred the audience between locations with ease – ranging from the parallel houses to a bus stop to a school. The portrayal of Skelmersdale reflected the ‘new build’ houses that were prominent of its time – which were reflected through the minimalistic set.
The lighting (by Nick Richings) ranged from simplistic to bright red lights to symbolise madness, the clever lighting techniques immersed the audience into the story. Sound effects (by Dan Samson) such as throwing rocks and gunshots had the audience on the edge of our seats, particularly as the end scene broke the fourth wall and fully immersed the audience.
The acting, lighting, staging and set was spectacular, alongside a poignant, raw, relatable storyline. By the end of act 2 there was not a dry eye in the house – the standing ovation for the cast and crew was thoroughly deserved.
Blood Brothers is a musical which will keep coming back again and again, and each time it is told it reaches a new audience and portrays the same message to a new generation who can still relate to the poignant themes and messages. Blood Brothers is a musical that is thought-provoking, relatable, emotive, hilarious, and it’s definitely not one to be missed
★★★★★
Blood Brothers is playing at Peterborough New Theatre until the 29th March and then continues its tour around the UK
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