There was a standing ovation for Gary Power’s production of the play version of Willie Russell’s musical – Blood Brothers –at the Theatre Royal, where a fine local cast worked well with a slender text, that was not much more than the dialogue between the famous sons, we didn’t get. Often the rhyming lines jarred and the emotion was linked to a sense of memory of those songs from memory. An inadequate set, indifferent lighting and a sung opening of Like Marilyn Munroe created an expectation that could not be delivered on in a play context. Wayne Brown’s underscore music further created a sense of the tunes you were missing in this story of a mother who had two twin sons and gave one away to a rich parent.

Lynda Gough was the heart of the role, Mrs.Johnston and Vicki Graham was the post Mrs.Lyons. David Flynn’s dramatic rhyming narration became over stylised to a point of almost melodrama.

It wasn’t until the arrival of Jamie Murphy as the innocent Mickey Johnston that the story took on some semblance of entertainment as you got the poignant childlike scenes of Blood Brothers with an excellent Pat Grant as posh Edward Lyons. These two fine actors carried the slender story along with Tobie Hickey providing three excellent cameos. woman

Megan Cassidy brought depth and emotional belief to the role of Linda and she was the shining light of this production.