Blood Brothers
Presented by: CLOC Musical Theatre
Venue: The Alexander Theatre, Clayton
Reviewer: Melissa Trickey
Date Reviewed: 6th October, 2007

It was with great excitement that found my seat in the packed Alexander Theatre to see CLOC's Blood Brothers, a show that I am quite familiar with, having now seen three different versions this year.

CLOC is a company that consistently delivers high quality shows, therefore when one reviews a CLOC show, one's standards must raise considerably. Despite going in with a critical frame of mind, Blood Brother's did not disappoint. It was an outstanding production, and a pleasure to watch. What really stood out to me was the calibre of the performances given by each and every cast member. Any ensemble member could have been a lead, and vice versa. That's not to say that the leads were not spectacular, as they were!

Overall the production was slick: well thought out (in every respect) well rehearsed and well executed. It could have been a professional show. For a presentation of such outstanding quality, I think it would be redundant to rabbit on about how great it was, which it was; but to be of any use or consequence, conduct an in depth analysis of the performance- I'll tell you exactly why it was great!

Direction: Sublime. Shaun Kingma was all over it like a rash! (for lack of a better analogy, but I am so fond of this one!) I loved the way that he blocked the show. The flow of the performance was easily gauged, which is an achievement in itself for a show that is so segmented in relation to real time, the action of the second act in particular is very rushed in comparison to the first act.

It is a mark of good direction, I believe, when a patron can't believe that it is time for interval already, or that the show seemed to go by so quickly, which is exactly how I felt when it finished. I was certainly drawn into the story.

It was the small things that really impressed me- a look exchanged between Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons after Mrs Johnstone has been fired... You could feel the paranoia of Mrs Lyons, and the remorse of Mrs Johnstone. Mickey refusing to break the Blood Brothers handshake when he says what he thinks is their final goodbye to Eddie, the physical embodiment of Mrs Lyon's grief in the opening scene.

The Narrator's involvement in the scene and set changes were also a highlight for me. Attention to detail is what makes a good show a great show, and it is obvious that Shaun had thought about every move he asked his players to make.  

Martin Macaulay is also to be congratulated for his efforts in Musical Direction, the band's performance was tight, precise and appropriate, there was some beautiful music making going on! Any occasions when the band over powered the singers were few and far between! The singing was of an extremely high standard, the harmonies sung by the cast were just stunning, in particular the opening was extremely effective.

Movement by Tamara Finch was a clever and effective addition to a show that doesn't need choreography in the usual Musical Theatre sense, but added another dimension to the action to make the show visually more interesting. It goes to show some people really do have it, Tamara could choreograph plants and still make them look interesting! Overall, a well-rounded Production Team that have certainly reaped the rewards of their efforts.

Set design was appropriate yet lavish, from rolling English country hills to cute little 60's kitchens, the scenic art was wonderfully done and so detailed.

I could describe costumes in the same way, totally appropriate but so very effective, absolutely spot on for the era. A special mention for the costume changes in the teenage montage which were very well executed, CLOC must have some awesome dressers!

Props were very authentic. Lighting achieved exactly what it needs to in my opinion, to not overshadow the action, but to expose and enhance the action and emotion in the piece. Sound Design was excellent, the levels of the microphones were spot on and the sound effects appropriate.

I have left the performances till last for good reason, every single person in the cast could be mistaken for a professional performer. Such strong performances across the board. What I enjoyed most about the performances were the different relationships developing between the lead characters, the  increasing anger, resentment and fear that developed between the two mothers, the defiance of class barriers by the two children that they can not escape as adults and the emotions that go with that situation, and the woman stuck in the middle of the two men, not knowing who to turn to.

Lauren Elise was simply beautiful as Mrs Johnstone, lovely vocals, and a measured performance, which is so important in such a role that is so emotional, as any portrayal could easily end up in over-acting territory. I particularly enjoyed her rendition of “Easy Terms”. My only criticism would be that she certainly doesn't “look like 43 when she was 25” or whatever the lyrics say, she looks too good to be a mother of many!

Peter Stanbrook was electrifying as the Narrator, such a magnetising presence on stage! I was pleased that the Narrator was allowed to be the Milk Man and the Gynecologist, even though it does give ensemble members less to do, it gives the story another dimension, and helps all the more to establish the Narrator's spooky presence. You could virtually see him haunting the minds of the mothers with his stare, you could feel the fear he instilled in them. His was the perfect (dare I say it!) combination of  Neutrality and Antagonism.  In short, he was creepy, but wonderfully so! Snaps for Peter!

Chris Buchanan as Mickey, and Christian Cavello as Eddie consecutively (I bet that was confusing in rehearsals!) were fabulously energetic, and should each be given an extra commendation for being so thoroughly convincing at every age their character was supposed to be. Fantastic characterisations as kids, but what I enjoyed most was the embodiment of the acceleration of maturity of Mickey when thrust into adulthood and the misery of the confinement of his class, and the inability of Eddie to understand what Mickey is going through, no matter how much he may care for Mickey. Mickey's rejection of Eddie was very poignant. In particular, Chris Buchanan is to be congratulated for his fantastic intensity in the final scenes, and Christian for being so thoroughly cute and geeky as a child and particularly as a teenager! Both displayed excellent comic timing.

The standout performance for me, which is an achievement in itself in such an outstanding and equally talented ensemble, was Pam Christie Birkett as Mrs Lyons. I just adored her portrayal! The tone of her voice, both speaking and singing, was so lovely to listen to. Her characterisation was so wonderful, her physicality was distinct, her emotional journey from nervous to paranoid to just plain crazy was effortless and so obvious for the audience to follow. The audience saw the guilt that engulfed her.

David Gedicke did well to define a character which in my opinion is a bit shady and undefined- Mr Lyons. Not a meaty emotional role- a lesser performer would easily flounder in the role, but he portrayed it with just the right amount of upper class British stiff upper lip for my liking!  Laura Burzacott is certainly a very talented young lady and someone to watch out in future years! A memorable performance indeed, it was a pleasure to watch her Linda grow from a girl who just wants to be one of the boys, to a wounded young woman whose vulnerability was well concealed from the other characters, but more than evident to the audience.

Eric Wawra as Sammy was menacing as a child and an adult, but in different ways; the development of the bullying child to the calculating criminal obvious. A commanding stage presence.

The Ensemble have all proved how talented they are as performers, but also how subtle they are, never pulling focus and always a wonderful support to the leading players. Accents across the board were outstanding!

All in all, it is easy to see why CLOC dominate our Musical Theatre scene from their production of Blood Brothers.

Melissa Trickey is one of the resident writers for the Theatre People Website and Newspaper. She has performed with companies around Melbourne from Pakenham to Frankston to Bayswater, performance highlights include Dorothy Brock in 42^nd Street, Fluffy in honk!, City of Angels and will appear in HMS Pinafore / Trial by Jury with Babirra Music Theatre in October.

Back To Reviews