Tickets: £17
Concessions: £13

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Tickets available on the door.

So did you ever hear the tale of the Johnston twins
As like each other as two new pins;
Of one womb born, on the self same day
How one was kept, one given away?

Twin boys – Mickey and Edward – are separated at birth. They meet again by chance as seven-year-olds and become firm friends despite the class and culture divide between them. We follow their story through childhood escapades, teenage angst and young adulthood. Tragedy strikes when both brothers fall in love with the same woman. Mickey becomes increasingly jealous of Eddie and finally decides to take the law into his own hands. 

Willy Russell’s original version of Blood Brothers is brought to The Mission Theatre by the talented members of Next Stage Youth. The play has the sparkling dialogue and characteristic wit that are Russell’s trademarks and includes the classic hit: “Dancing Like Marilyn Monroe” from the later musical version of this play. 

Don’t miss this gripping story of love, loss and ultimate retribution – a real crowd-pleaser and the perfect vehicle for some of Bath’s most accomplished young actors.

Review by Rebecca Beard

Having loved the Next Stage Youth Theatre Company's productions of West Side Story and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, an invitation to review another play was very welcome.

The start of the play featured the song “Marilyn Monroe” and was a lovely nod to the popular musical version of this story. It was performed with charm in a stylised opening number with a red, white and black colour palette and choreography, hinting at a fairytale which cannot survive a harsh reality check.

It was good to see many familiar faces on stage from previous productions. Ann Ellison the director very sensibly utilised a split cast, which gave everyone a chance to showcase their skills. It was also nice to see new members, and I look forward to seeing them take on larger roles as they develop and grow in confidence. Very much an ensemble piece, they were all well-chosen and both casts inhabited well-rounded and believable characters to perfection, especially given the short rehearsal period. 

The puppet master narrators, complete with marionette bars were chilling in their dispassionate demeanor, emphasising the self-fulfilling prophesy over which they presided. The four who played the children and the cameo roles are stars in the making, and their talent and stamina belied their relatively young age. Vocal coaching from John Matthews & Kay Francksen paid dividends by giving us Liverpudlian accents that felt natural. Motherhood as a theme was explored well, and the actors who played Mrs Johnston and Mrs Lyons beautifully demonstrated how it changes women, as well as raising the uncomfortable theme of surrogacy and how women in poverty are still exploited. The characters of Mickey, Eddie and Linda each transitioned seamlessly from child to adolescent to adult. The chemistry of their love triangle was handled delicately and only served to remind us of the inevitable unhappy ending which stalks this play.

Overall pacing was good, neither rushed nor dragging. Scenery and props were minimal giving us an uncluttered set, and costumes were spot on. Gentle sound effects and music enhanced each scene and the sparse use of lighting effects was effective in conveying changes of mood and tone, particularly in the superstition scenes and the final summer of childhood. 

The three leads showed the change of fortune very well. The hand of friendship suddenly felt like a patronising hand out as the gulf between the blood brothers widened, and the childhood promise was left behind with the toys and games of yesteryear. Mirroring the class divide between the mothers, (the absent father being a feature for both) this was signified by the use of opposite ends of the performing space as entrance and exit. This production found the sweet spot that gave us for the Johnstones neither a grinding poverty, nor a sickly sentimentality about working class life, and a vivid contrast with the Lyons whose money and aspirations did not buy them happiness.

Watching two dress rehearsals and seeing both casts was a delight, as each set brought their own stamp to the overall performance. This bittersweet story has energy, chemistry and some truly wonderful and touching moments, so whichever you see, you're in for a treat.