‘Blood Brothers’ adjoins audiences across Atlantic

It’s a small world after all when twins separated at birth reunite. 

The IU Department of Theatre and Drama begins this year’s season with the originally British production of “Blood Brothers” by Willy Russell. Opening night of the musical tragedy is Friday under the direction of award-winning director, Murray McGibbon. 

Set in Liverpool in the 1960s, when class determined placement in society, a mother of seven in desperate circumstances was forced to prioritize after birthing twin boys.
Similar to fairy tale themes of country mouse and city mouse, the twins were separated to endeavored different lifestyles.

Despite farfetched coincidences, McGibbon said these stories are extraordinary because anyone in the audience could be facing the same situation.

Taste in women might or might not apply to genetics. However, in “Blood Brothers” the twins, who recognize each other as pals, fall in love with the same girl. This twist draws themes of sex, adultery, love and fraud into the play.

Willy Russell, initially a women’s hairdresser raised in a sweat-off-the-back lifestyle, is the playwright. After styling up-do’s, Russell began to use the ink in his pen to write novels and plays such as “Blood Brothers.”
For more than 20 years, “Blood Brothers” has been played in London’s West End.

McGibbon said Russell writes plays from the common man to the common reality.
For this performance in the Midwest, “familiarizing the cast with silly things like dialect was hard,” Assistant Director and U.K. native Dominique Poulter said.

Being seen as a “play with music” rather than as a “typical musical,” McGibbon said the song repertoire within the play weighs heavily on the script.
Given a grant, those involved with this production were also given the bare minimum of scenery and props.

However, the staging is flexible and lined up chairs transform from a school bus to a classroom.   

“It’s a beautiful set. It’s like a playground.” choreographer William Angelo said. He added all of the set design and choreography is original.

McGibbon said that in contemporary culture, “Blood Brothers,” is not considered a mainstream play, yet he still thinks audiences will be interested. 

“Blood Brothers” has hauntingly timeless appeal that obviously has a chord to particularly touch audiences,” he said. 

Tickets can be purchased at the IU Auditorium Box Office.

‘Blood Brothers’

When 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Oct. 13 through 16 and 2 p.m. Oct. 17
Where Ruth N. Halls Theatre in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center
More Info Regular admission $20, students and seniors $15, students with valid IU ID $12