Blood Brothers

Congleton Players made a welcome return to the Daneside Theatre with their production of ‘Blood Brothers – the Play’, directed by Louise Colohan. Louise’s direction was very good, using the full stage and auditorium to her advantage. The set was kept simple and utilised well. I particularly liked the simplicity of moving the curtain rail to denote whether we were inside or outside the Lyons’ home – simple, but effective! The stage management and crew must be applauded for their work. The scene changes were done quickly and seamlessly. Some directing highlights include the moment Eddie tells Mrs Johnstone that he is moving, the Johnstone family scenes, and the final confrontation between Mickey and Eddie. The arrival of Mrs Johnstone didn’t have a strong enough impact, but the emotion displayed by each character during the final moments was very believable.

The lighting (Nicholas Field) and sound (Tom Maurice) were very good. Actors were miked and levels were good. Sound effects were well used throughout. Music underscoring scenes was unobtrusive to the action happening on stage. Lighting was used well, especially aiding the scene changes to ensure the pace was kept. There were a few moments were the lights could have come on quicker.

Michael Shneck took on the role of Mickey. A very difficult part, portraying the character as a child all the way to a young adult. Michael did very well with this part – I particularly liked how he portrayed Mickey during his younger years. There are so many emotional changes to Mickey, especially during the second act and Michael did well to portray these.

Sam Hands played Eddie. Like Michael, Sam portrayed Eddie from a child to a young adult and did well to show this with slight changes to voice for the different ages. Sam played the comedic elements of Eddie as a child very well, and the complex emotions of Eddie as a young adult equally as well. Sam’s scene with Sarah where he breaks down in her arms was a beautiful moment. Well acted by both Sam and Sarah.

Mrs Johnstone was played by Sarah Francis. I enjoyed watching Sarah on stage. She brought that Scouse sense of humour, as well as providing some tender, motherly moments. The relationships she created with other characters were believable. Well done.

Mrs Lyons was played by Jennifer Haney. Again, this is a complex character to play, and Jennifer did well to portray the wide range of emotions of Mrs Lyons, ending in a mental breakdown that was played sensitively.

The role of Linda was played by Sophie Meggitt. This was a lovely portrayal from Sophie, with excellent characterisation. The way that Sophie changed from a young girl to a love-sick teen to a conflicted wife was well thought out and beautifully performed.

I really enjoyed Robin Jackson’s Narrator. Always on stage, always watching, and always focussed on the action. Robin had great command of the stage and was a great storyteller, pushing the story along.

Andrew Bours really brought the humour out in his many roles. I enjoyed the many characters that Andrew played in the opening scenes, with each one being different due to use of voice.

A big well done to Sophie Williams, Sara Critchey, David McCaddon and Wendy Mckie for your contribution to the production. Whether it was as named characters of ensemble playing, you all added that little bit extra to this production.

A big shout out to the young cast as well. It was an inspired choice to have young actors portray the children to give us a sense of the hectic life that Mrs Johnstone led. Well done to Charlie House, Annabel Jackson, Phoebe Jackson, Lois Francis and Joey Turner. The commitment to the parts you were playing was great!

Overall, this was a standout production. Some excellent performances, great direction and some really good technical work.

Thank you to Congleton Players for their warm welcome and kind hospitality. All the best for your next production, ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.