Article from The Liverpool Daily Post newspaper from April 1993.
WILLY SCORES LONDON HIT
Willy Russell's musical Blood Brothers proved a smash hit in London's West End last night earning a massive ovation.
There were cheers and five curtain calls for the cast and the Liverpool Playhouse show looks assured of being a big success.
It was also welcomed by theatrical stars in the audience. Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of Jesus Christ Superstar, gave the production a standing ovation with calls of bravo.
And actor Jon Pertwee called it, "The most exciting first night I have attended for years." He said it was something new to West End audiences by being a melodrama. "How they will react to a musical melodrama I just don't know, but I suspect it will be a marvellous success."
Willy Russell's musical had a sell-out opening night at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, and appeared in a slightly re-written form to the version seen at the Playhouse this year.
Many scenes in the second half have been axed and new ones written in to give stronger emphasis to the conflict between the two mothers, played by Wendy Murray and Barbara Dickson.
And it was Miss Dickson who came across as one of the strongest members of a fine cast with her fine singing voice and tremendous acting ability.
Many in the audience were surprised to learn that it was her first acting role - but, as she had said in the past, she agreed to do it as an old friend of the writer, Willy Russell. Her decision was last night proved to be oustandingly a correct one.
But also making strong impressions on last night's audience were George Costigan as the working class half of the pair of twins and Andrew C. Wadswortn as the other twin brought up in posh surroundings. There was much laughter at some of the youthful antics of the two in the early stages of the play, when they appeared in short trousers.
Kate Fitzgerald was the only new addition to the Liverpool cast, playing the girl who is loved by both twins. The Liverpool-born actress gave her own vibrant personality to the role and made it very much stronger than that seen in the city.
The critics were last night keeping silent about their views on the play - they will not be known until this morning - but if the audience could write their own reviews they would be giving it raves. Many of them as they came out of the theatre told me it was one of the most moving yet joyous occasions that they had spent in the theatre.
Many of the Playhouse staff travelled down yesterday to see the opening night.
