Notes on blood brothers by ellesmera

Blood brothers Notes:
Style and production: It’s a musical. It’s a combination of naturalistic acting and larger than life characters. It’s a mixture of comedy and tragedy. This is to make it realistic, using real life to reflect in to a play. Full of superstitions, segregation, integration and mediation.
Emotional response: Mixture of comedy and tragedy, spurs on emotions, because one minute everything’s happy, the next its torn apart. The play is ‘bipolar’. It starts with the death of the twins. It’s presented in a very stylised manner. The audience question what was happening, and keep questioning throughout the entirety of the play. It makes you ask the question ‘why it showed you two bodies at the beginning’. This is so you can take it all in, it intrigues you, draws you in. The audience is aware of the final outcome from the very start. Watch the events that lead up to the death. Which we know is coming. Uneasy atmosphere. The reason being, the past is coming back to influence the present.. It’s inevitable. A sequence of events leading up to the unavoidable death of the twins. It’s all started by shoes on the table, Mrs. Lyons new superstition that it’s bad luck. The presence of the narrator fills in the details. The narrator is the conscience; he can interact with the audience, and the characters. Even though you can’t see him all the time, you know he’s always round the corner. Unbiased about the play reminds the audience of the consequences. He started it off. Actually says: ‘Born and died on the very same day.’ Going to die together. On the same day.
Comedy: When the adults played children it was funny. How they were. How they acted. How they pretended to shoot things. The way they reacted to Sammy. A larger than life enactment of children’s behaviour. The strong naivety. It also strikes a chord with the audience as it reminds them of their childhood. Comedy is also shown by growing up, showed through the class scene, talking about sex, going to see a pornographic movie. The girls are more mature than boys.
Tragedy: Constant reminder of the past catching up with the present. Mrs. Lyons keeps reminding Mrs. Johnson that the day they made a pact, and that they must keep the pact. Robbery on the bus and a hold up that goes wrong. Mickey getting locked up. Never was the same. Becomes depressed and on anti-depressants. Mickey loses his job and can’t get another. Mickey hard to grow up far to fast. Linda pregnant. Mickey’s desperation. Eddie and Linda having an affair. Fatal blow. Mother warns them but they continue. Final confrontation. Find out they’re twins. Mickey accidentally shoots Eddie. Police shoot Mickey from the audience. Draws audience in. An emotional rollercoaster ride, gradually turns from comedy to tragedy. It brings out a range of emotions from the audience.
Actors: Consider vocal and physical elements. Mickey: Brought up in a slum like background. Seen at the ages 7-14 and then late teens and adulthood. Played all the time by the same actor. 8 (ish) siblings. One sister. Mickey’s voice is loud. Exaggerated. During younger years, higher, more feminine. Strong accent, Enthusiastic tone. Innocence about the world. Enjoys saying the words he uses. Stresses the sounds. Physically energetic, exaggerated, full of energy and life. Fats movements Horse. Gun. Dying. Jumper, over-exaggerated and pours life in to everything he does. Very expressive facial expressions. As a teenager. 14. Physically self conscious. A lot less energy. Hands in pockets. Shoulders slumped. Only time we see any energy is when he’s dancing.