Blood Brothers (Musical)
Blood Brothers (German "Blutsbrüder") is a musical by Willy Russell . It premiered in 1983 in Liverpool . The play was performed in the Phoenix Theater in London until November 10, 2012.
action
The play is set in Liverpool in the 1960s and 1970s.
Mrs. Johnstone suffers from poverty. She already has five children, is expecting twins and decides to leave one of the two babies to her sterile employer (Mrs. Lyons, who works for Mrs. Johnstone as a cleaning lady). Mrs. Johnstone is very superstitious, so Mrs. Lyons claims, "If they find out (that they are twins), they will both die." This is to prevent Mrs. Johnstone from talking about the abandoned son. The two sons (Eddie and Mickey) grow up in very different circumstances and know nothing of the existence of the other. By chance they get to know each other and form blood brotherhood.
How they grow up in different milieus and values represents the majority of the piece, whereby the two meet again and again. Of course, they fall in love with the same girl (Linda) and not only because of that, but also out of envy and jealousy of each other's life, clash more and more often.
Ultimately, Mickey's (“poor”) envy of Eddie is so great that he bursts into a city council meeting to shoot Eddie: Mickey suspects that Eddie is the actual father of his son. In this scene, Mrs. Johnstone confesses to her sons that they are twins, whereupon both (Eddie by Mickey, Mickey by the police) are shot.
A few more sub-threads run through the whole piece. So z. B. the marriage of Mrs. Lyons and her husband (industrialist who knows nothing about the “wrong” son) shattered by Mrs. Lyons growing hysteria. Mickey's brother (Sammy) ends up in jail again and again. Mickey's and Linda's love is constantly being put to the test.
dramaturgy
The first scene ( overture ) anticipates the finale. So the exciting thing is not that it happens, but how it can get this far.
A narrator leads through the whole piece.
music
- Marilyn Monroe (Mrs.Johnstone)
- Shoes upon the table (narrator)
- Kid games (Linda, Mickey, Ensemble)
- Easy Terms (Mrs.Johnstone)
- My Child (Mrs. Lyons, Mrs. Johnstone)
- I'm not saying a word (Eddie)
- Miss Jones (Mr.Lyons)
- Tell me it's not true (Mrs.Johnstone)
Productions
- 2018 - Bruno, Summer Festival Brunn am Gebirge Director: Dean Welterlen; musical direction: Jeff Frohner
- 2018 - Musical Company Pinneberg eV , Pinneberg
- Director: Juliane Dawideit; musical direction: Thorsten Stoye
- 2016 - spiel.raum Stuhr eV in cooperation with the BMTA
- Director: The Ensemble; Co-direction and musical direction: Wilhelm Eugen Mayr
- 2014 - The Meininger Theater
- Direction: Stanislav Mosa, musical direction: Arturo Alvarado / Fiona Macleod. Narrator: Michael Jeske
- 2014 - Katielli-Theater Datteln
- Direction: Bernd Julius Arends / Katharina Koch, musical direction: Miriam Lotz
- 2012 - Theater in the Neukloster
- Director: Florian Scherz, musical director: Klemens Patek. Narrator: Florian Scherz.
- Mrs. Johnston: Michaela Mikesch, Mickey: Andreas Steiner, Eddie: Klemens Patek
- 2011 - Piehls Showpalast Eckernförde
- Direction, choreography and musical direction: Claudia Piehl (Piehl-Entertainment & JJActs). Narrator: Martin Rönnebeck.
- Eddie: Wolfgang Hamann. Mickey: Jes Jessen.
- 2010 - State Theater Nuremberg ( Tafelhalle ).
- Director: Klaus Kusenberg, musical director: Bettina Ostermeier, choreography: Sebastian Eilers, narrator: Frank Damerius;
- Mrs Johnstone: Elke Wollmann, Mickey: Marco Steeger , Edward: Thomas L. Dietz
- 2009 Eckernförde town hall.
- Direction, choreography and musical direction: Claudia Piehl (Piehl-Entertainment & JJActs). Narrator: Martin Rönnebeck.
- Eddie: Wolfgang Hamann. Mickey: Jes Jessen.
- 2009 - Waldbühne Kloster Oesede , Georgsmarienhütte , world premiere on an open-air stage
- Direction: Max Messler, Anna-Lena Handt, musical direction: Georgi Gürov;
- Mrs.Johnstone: Sonja Schwartz, Melanie Krupke; Mrs.Lyons: Karen Gülker, Ellen Schaeben, Mickey: Robby Plücker, Steffen Jankowski, Eddie: Lars Linnhoff, Robby Plücker
- 2007 - City Theater Wilhelmshaven
- Director: Michael Blumenthal; musical direction: Udo Becker; Choreography: Jörg Löwer;
- Mrs.Johnstone: Susanne Menner; Mrs. Lyons: Katrin Rehberg
- 2005 - Theater St.Gallen
- Director: Josef E. Köpplinger; musical direction: Jeff Frohner ; Choreography: Ricarda R. Ludigkeit;
- Mrs. Johnstone: Dagmar Hellberg ; Mrs. Lyons: Sigrid Hauser
- 1999 - Vienna, Theater Akzent
- Director: Josef E. Köpplinger; musical direction: Walter Lochmann; Choreography: Ricarda R. Ludigkeit;
- Mrs. Johnstone: Sona MacDonald ; Mrs. Lyons: Maya Hakvoort
- 1997 - St. Gallen OLMA-Halle Swiss premiere
- Director: Bruno Broder; mus Director: Ralph Hufenus
Web links
- Blood Brothers in the Internet Broadway Database (IBDB)
- Bloodbrothers at Willy Russel.com
- Bloodbrothers - blood brothers at Musical-World.de
- Plot and list of songs in the German-language musical Blutsbrüder