Blood Brothers (musical) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blood Brothers
20th Anniversary London Poster
Music	Willy Russell
Lyrics	Willy Russell
Book	Willy Russell
Productions	1983 West End 1993 Broadway Several UK tours 2015 Sydney International productions
Awards	Olivier Award for Best New Musical

Blood Brothers is a popular musical created by Willy Russell, who wrote the story, songs, and music. The story is about two fraternal twin brothers, Mickey and Eddie, who are separated at birth. One twin is raised by a wealthy family, and the other by a family that struggles financially. This difference in how they grow up leads them to live very different lives. They both end up falling in love with the same girl, which causes big problems in their friendship and leads to a very sad and surprising end for both brothers. Willy Russell shared that he got the idea for Blood Brothers from a short play he read as a child about two babies who were swapped at birth.

The musical first started as a play for schools. It was first performed in Liverpool before moving to London's West End in 1983 for a short time. Blood Brothers won a big award called the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. After touring the country for a year, it came back to the West End in 1988. It played at the Albery Theatre for three years before moving to the Phoenix Theatre in 1991. This second run in the West End lasted for over 24 years and had more than 10,000 performances! It became the third longest-running musical in West End history before it finally closed in November 2012. The musical has also been very successful on tour, on Broadway in New York, and in other countries. It has gained many dedicated fans around the world.

Meet the Cast and Characters

Famous Cast Members

Many talented actors have performed in Blood Brothers over the years. Here's a look at some of the main cast members from important productions:

Other Notable Actors

• Sean Jones has played 'Mickey Johnstone' many times on UK tours and in London. He was still playing the role in the 2023 UK tour.
• Singer Nikki Evans is currently playing Mrs. Johnstone in the 2023 UK tour.
• In the West End, Melanie C from the Spice Girls played Mrs. Johnstone.

Main Characters

Here are the important characters you'll meet in Blood Brothers:

• The Narrator: This character helps tell the story. He often talks directly to the audience and also plays other small roles like a policeman or a judge.
• Mrs Johnstone: She is a cleaner for the Lyons family. She is a single mother who works hard to support her many children.
• Mrs Jennifer Lyons: She is Mrs Johnstone's boss. She convinces Mrs Johnstone to give her one of her twin sons to raise as her own.
• Edward 'Eddie' Lyons: He is Mickey's twin brother. Mrs Lyons raises him, and he becomes "blood brothers" with Mickey, not knowing they are actual brothers.
• Michael 'Mickey' Johnstone: He is the youngest of Mrs Johnstone's children. He stays with his mother and becomes "blood brothers" with Eddie.
• Sammy Johnstone: He is Mickey's older brother. He often gets into trouble.
• Linda: She is a friend to both Mickey and Eddie when they are children. Later, she becomes Mickey's wife.
• Mr Richard Lyons: He is Mrs Lyons's husband. He doesn't know that Edward is not his biological son.
• Miss Jones: She is Mr Lyons's secretary. She loses her job during a tough economic time.
• Donna Marie Johnstone: She is one of Mrs Johnstone's older children.
• Darren Wayne Johnstone: He is the oldest Johnstone child.

Musical Songs

The musical features many memorable songs that help tell the story and show the characters' feelings. Here are some of them:

Recordings of the Musical

You can listen to the songs from Blood Brothers on several recordings:

• 1983 Original London Cast Recording
• 1988 London Cast Recording
• 1995 Australian Cast Recording
• 1995 London Cast Recording
• 1995 International Cast Recording

Awards and Nominations

Blood Brothers has won and been nominated for many important awards in theatre.

Original London Production (1983)

London Revival (1988)

Original Broadway Production (1993)