Description:

THE HIT MUSICAL BLOOD BROTHERS IS NOW in 22ND YEAR IN LONDON PHOENIX THEATRE

“A MIRACLE! STILL UNMISSABLE AND UNBEATABLE” The Spectator.

“THE BEST MUSICAL IN THE WEST END” The Mirror.

“GRIPPING, GRITTY AND SUPERBLY HUMMABLE - IT'S A MUST!” Mail On Sunday.



Going into it's 20th Year, an incredible achievement, BLOOD BROTHERS at the Phoenix Theatre is a West End and London stalwart. It's enjoyed by thousands each week, and looks set to stay around for a long time to come.

Written by the legendary Willy Russell, BLOOD BROTHERS tells the captivating and moving tale of twins who, separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with tragic consequences. The incredible score includes Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It's Not True. Hailed as one of the best musicals of all time - scooping up no less than four awards for best musical in London and seven Tony Award nominations on Broadway - Blood Brothers is currently booking into its 20th year.

The recommended age for children is age 12 and above. Children under the age of 4 will not be admitted to the theatre.

Our Review:

Blood Brothers has formed the backbone of the West End for almost 15 years now and shows no sign of leaving us.

The show is set in Liverpool and is about two twins separated at birth and how their different upbringings effect them as they grow up.

The show remians popular with young people and a lot of people name Blood Brothers as the show which got them interested in theatre; with fantastic music and incredibly emotive story, you don't blame them.

We are able to offer some fantastic rates on the show, so it’s a great one to go and see.

What The Papers Say:

“Blood Brothers’ ability to combine comedy and tragedy, great songs with a searching examination of both the nature-vs-nurture debate and the malign role of class in British society strikes me as remarkable. So, too, is its evocation of childhood, and the performances of Stephen Palfreman and Richard Reynard as the twin brothers separated at birth are outstanding. If you haven’t been to Blood Brothers before, make it a priority.” THE TELEGRAPH


“Now in its second decade at the Phoenix Theatre, Willy Russell's 'Blood Brothers' is one of our country's foremost MOR institutions. The archetypal 'weepie', it lives off weekly infusions of coached-in tourists and school kids.

Yet for all its intrinsic naffness, 'Blood Brothers' possesses a working class ire and regional pride that remains refreshing to this day. Certainly it's hard not to see a resonance with David Cameron's Britain as rough diamond Mickey (Stephen Palfreman) falls from grace, abandoned by a society uninterested in the poor.

Set in and around a pair of Merseyside council estates, 'Blood Brothers' charts the entwined lives of twins Mickey and Eddie, separated at birth after their mother Mrs Johnstone gave Eddie up for adoption to a wealthy family. The early scenes of childish hijinks in a dilapidated Liverpool remain fresh, funny and pleasingly low key. But the book's earthiness is continually undercut by a lurid synthetic score that gets more inappropriate with each passing year

Russell's book still charms in places, but it is sentimental and schematic, and lacks bite until the very end…It would be mean-spirited to suggest that a show that has brought pleasure to so many should be shelved for good. But this is a painfully dated production: its obstinate refusal to exit the '80s leaves book and cast mired down in needless kitsch.” TIME OUT


“Blood Brothers is often considered in the public conscience as 'the weepie musical with that song'. Since its 1983 premiere, a parade of leading ladies, from Barbara Dickson to Niki Evans via Kiki Dee and the Nolan sisters, have tackled the role of Mrs Johnstone, the Liverpool mum living on the 'never never' who's forced to give up one of her twin sons for adoption to her wealthy employer, Mrs Lyons.

Particularly in an age of recession and rising unemployment, Blood Brothers' themes of social injustice and systematic failures in dealing with the psychological fall-out, seem as pertinent as ever.

…there are staging elements which are now so dated they hamper engagement. The excess reverb effects, tinny synthesisers and garish backdrops leave a lasting impression that after 21 years the show is badly showing its age” WHATSONSTAGE


“Willy Russell's Blood Brothers has been bringing audiences tearfully to their feet for 21 years in London and last night was no exception.

Russell's musical – remarkably, he wrote the book, music and lyrics – has lost none of its dry-as-a-bone scouse wit, nor its terrible power to move as it reaches its quarter century. It's the story of the Johnstone twins, born into a single-parent family with too many mouths to feed. One is given away at birth to Mrs J's employer, the rich and brittle Mrs Lyons and grows up in a world of cricket, blazers and privilege, while the other flounders in petty crime and ends up on the dole. That they will always be drawn together, only to finally destroy one another is foretold, with a Gallagher-esque snarl, by Philip Stewart's sinister narrator who lurks on the sidelines in a devilishly sharp suit.

Stephen Palfreman and Richard Reynard are quite superb as the blood brothers, growing up in front of our eyes from seven-year old, catapult-wielding tykes to responsible young men. I loved and believed in every second of their tender interaction. Together with Mel C, they provide a wonderful introduction to the classic for first-timers, and for Blood Brothers fans, a good excuse to see it – and weep at it – once again” THE INDEPENDENT

Submit your review here: