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Blood Brothers Blood Brothers originated in England and after a first attempt failed, a second production was met with critical and financial success. But when Blood Brothers came to Broadway, it was met with tepid reviews at best, though it did go on to become a medium hit, spawning a national tour. Theatre Three closed their recent season with two brilliant musicals, Saturday Night and The World Goes Round. They did not sit on their laurels long, for they can add this seasons's Blood Brothers to their list of successes. Director Terry Dobson cast this production with actors from the local talent pool, and it shows that this city has the talent for difficult emotional themed shows. Dobson brings out honest and deep felt performances from his high caliber company of principals. This is what I have come to respect and admire about this man's work as a director. He changed the book slightly which results in giving the production new life and imagination. Dobson approached a deeper level of subtext which is refreshing. For intance, Dobson has cast the role of the narrator, which has always been played by a male actor, with an African American actress. The character resembles a late-night infommercial psychic and this approach hits the mark perfectly. Blocking in the round is any director's nightmare, but Dobson (along with the ever dependable Choreographer Linda Leonard) keeps the pace moving with determination and purpose. Dobson's blocking of the final scene, in particular, is deliciously dark and emotional. Adam C. Wright leads his small combo orchestra with precision and skill. The cast is not body miked, thus an orchestra could have easily overpowered the company, but Wright never lets this happen; he keeps the volume right underneath the voices, including the underscore. Equally admirable is Wright's musical directing in that he really follows the vocalists when they take an extra beat for a moment on stage. He waits along with them, thus not cheating us or the performer for a moment on stage. While there are very few company numbers for full out choreography, Linda Leonard still found pieces where dance could add life and vitality to the evening. Her work hits pay dirt in such numbers as "Kids Game", "Bright New Day", and "Take a Letter Miss Jones." Julie Johnson is one of the finest performers in the metroplex theatre family. She is magnificent as Mrs. Lyons, right down to her British accent. The acting Johnson gives to this role is tour de force. She adds subtext and deep rooted love, loneliness, and anger to her character. Her singing voice is a powerhouse force as well. Sally Soldo as Mrs. Johnstone is another powder keg performance. Ms. Soldo also brings heart, soul and pain to her role, and her performance matches Johnson's like a glove. When Mrs. Johnstone gives one of her babies away, honest tears well in her eyes, creating a truly heartbreaking moment. Soldo sings with blazing beauty, bringing the lyrics forth with deeper meaning. The role could easily go into hysterics, but Soldo knows when to reach the arc of her character perfectly. Soldo does not use a British accent as prior Mrs. Johnstones have. The scene work between Johnson and Soldo is some of the finest I have ever seen. Liz Mikel as The Seer has the stage presence to fill Radio City Music Hall. Her gorgeous face is dusted with glitter, and her body is swathed in shining fabrics with encrusted rhinestones on the neck and wrists. She employs a Jamaican dialect, but doesn't go overboard with it. Her passionate acting is beautiful to watch. Mikel has a singing voice that would rival Jennifer Holiday (someone please mount a production of Dreamgirls and cast this marvelous actress as "Effie" now!) Her finest moment comes in the trio number "Tell Me It's not True". She, along with Johnson and Soldo, tears the roof off with her powerful soprano vocals. Michael Turner and Christopher Gleason portray Mickey and Eddie, the twins who were separated at birth. Turner bounces off the walls with infectious, high intensity energy. This actor possesses razor sharp comic timing and very amusing facial expressions. He has the audience laughing during act one, but his dark and brooding acting in act two is brilliant, honest, and truthful. Gleason is more reserved, but that works in his favor, giving the levels of subtext better light. Gleason's strong baritone vocals work beautifully in the song "I'm Not Saying a Word," and his acting matches Turner's scene for scene. They both toss the "ball of energy and commitment" to each other, never once dropping it. Both actors also sing their one duet, "Long Sunday Afternoon," with textures of pop vocals, and this works really well for the song. Both actors have top notch chemistry not only with each other, which is vital to the show, but also with their other castmates. Julie Stirman as Linda gives yet another winning performance. Her role has no solo (I fault composer Russell on his lukewarm score for this), but her scene work as the girl who is loved by both Eddie and Mickey is first rate. The ensemble is also quite good, especially Ryan Charles Roach as Mr. Lyons. While the role is minor, he sells his solo number, "Take a Letter Miss Jones," with gusto. During Mr. Lyons' emotional breakdown, as he finds his dead son's body and finds out that he never really had a son at all, Roach's non verbal acting shows true commitment to the moment. Only a couple of the songs in this score are enjoyable, and one of them is the ending company number, "Tell Me It's Not True." But once again, Director Dobson creates an incredible scene/moment that was never there before, having his three grand leading ladies (Johnson, Soldo, and Mikel) exchange verses and emotionally cross over each others' vocals, then adding the strong ensemble, resulting in one of the finest scenes in a musical to ever grace the Theatre Three stage. That whole scene is tragic and emotional at once. Theatre Three's production totally overcomes the shortcomings of Blood Brothers' score, creating a powerful production. Blood Brothers plays at Theatre Three through September 30. Please call 214-871-3300 for ticket information. Blood Brothers CAST Mrs. Johnstone: Sally Soldo |
