Blood Brothers – Bord Gáis Energy Theatre – Review
by G. O’Byrne

Dates – 24th February to 7th March 2026
Photo Credit Jack Merriman.jpg

The musical Blood Brothers, with, unusually, book, lyrics, and music all by Willy Russell, is one of the longest-running and most successful musicals ever written. Premiered in Liverpool in the 1980s, it went on to the West End in London and ran for decades, touring the world. It became a favourite of Dublin audiences.

This is a heartbreaking story of twin brothers separated at birth, with one being raised in comfort, the other in hardship, who cross paths later on with tragic consequences. It begins at the end of the story and leaps back to show how events unfolded over the decades. It’s one of the few musicals where the ending is known to be tragic — yet audiences return repeatedly, drawn by the emotional catharsis.

Behind it all is a nature versus nurture theme suggesting that social environment and class are more influential in shaping destiny than bloodline or fate. Indeed, at the end of the show, there is a line in the original (perhaps adapted a little for an Irish audience?) where the Narrator says, “And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class?”  In this final moment, Willy Russell uses this line to make a direct commentary on the UK’s class structure, suggesting it is an inherent, often unfair, part of English life.

Musically, the show is unusual in not having any big dance numbers or indeed almost any dance at all. The superb score includes Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe, and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True.

This production, directed by Bob Tomson & (the late) Bill Kenwright, features the great Rebecca Storm again in the iconic role of Mrs Johnstone, a part she first played over forty years ago in 1984. For those old enough to have seen her perform that role in the 1980s, there was a certain warm nostalgia to see her reprise that role once again, and if a certain imaginative leap was required to see her as a young woman at the beginning of the show, that soon dissipated as the years ran by during the performance. There was a warmth and emotional appeal to her performance, and her voice, while having mellowed over the years, was more than able to rise to the challenge.

For the other leads, including Sean Jones as Mickey and Joe Sleight as Eddie, also Gemma Brodrick as Linda and Michael Gilette as Sammy, the standout feature was the way they inhabited their various characters at different ages, as children, as teenagers and again as adults in their early twenties. Their acting and comedic skills in this regard were superb and injected humour into the show throughout. Kristopher Harding, as the Narrator, observed onstage and spoke periodically, almost like a Greek chorus of old, reminding us that there would be a reckoning at the end for the choices made earlier.  Laura Harrison played the tragic figure of Mrs Lyons, with her husband played by Tim Churchill.

The set (Andy Walmsley) and lighting (Nick Richings) were imaginative, and the band led by Matt Malone complimented the action delightfully. The pace throughout was excellent.

The beauty of this show is that there is an emotional appeal to all the characters; none are truly wicked or evil, and the audience can sympathise with them all and the moral dilemmas caused by the decisions made. Thus, the audience was genuinely moved by the events of the finale, which, coupled with the tragic “Tell me it’s not true” chorus, meant that the show’s reputation for explosive standing ovations lived on in this production.