BILL KENWRIGHT PRODUCTIONS
5 curtain calls to a standing ovation on opening night may
be all the convincing you need to go and see the latest tour of Willy Russell’s
masterpiece, Blood Brothers, at Malvern Festival Theatre this week. A
refreshingly new and arguably best-ever Narrator, Kristofer Harding, tells the
moving tale of twins, separated at birth, and the unfortunate events that lead
to their tragic demise.
The utterly brilliant Sean Jones reprises his role as Mickey
opposite Mark Hutchingon who sweetly plays his dramatically different twin,
Eddie. Danielle Corlass is wonderful as the enigmatic Linda and Daniel Taylor
triumphantly returns as Mickey’s unhinged, older brother, Sammy. Tracy Spencer
and Tim Churchill are perfect as Mr & Mrs Lyons, while the lovely Maureen
Nolan provides the glue that binds everyone together. The rest of the
supporting cast superbly add to an incredibly strong group of performers,
making this a great production definitely worth seeing.
Each few years the orchestrations appear to be updated and
this year is no exception. The band, under Kelvin Towse’s supervision, is
stunning and helps create the most impressive atmosphere throughout the show.
Whether new to musical theatre or a devoted fan of this timeless classic, this
tour is one of the best to date.
