Bill Kenwright‘s legendary, award-winning production of the international smash hit musical, Blood Brothers continues to tour across the UK and last night we went to see the opening night of the much-loved musical at Venue Cymru in Llandudno.
Niki Colwell Evans and Sean Jones, continue to play the iconic roles of Mrs Johnstone and Mickey Johnstone respectively, with Gemma Brodrick stepping into the role of Linda, the “role of a lifetime” for the actress who has been a part of the production since she began in 2019.
Niki Colwell Evans first rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the semi-final of series 4 of The X Factor UK mentored by Louis Walsh. After her debut solo single ‘Love Me No More’ in 2008, she went on to play the iconic role Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre between 2008-2009 and in 2010 where she received rave reviews from critics. Following on from this she performed in the pantomimes Cinderella as the Fairy Godmother at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (2009-2010) and in Kinky Boots as Trish (UK Tour 2018/21). She played the role of Paulette in the musical adaptation of Legally Blonde (UK Tour 2012) receiving high acclaim for her performance as Elle’s sassy confidante. Over the years, Niki has toured as a solo singer with pop stars such as Sonia, Lonnie Gordon, Big Fun and Yell. In 2016, she performed at the Queen’s 90th celebrations at Windsor Castle alongside Dame Helen Mirren, Damien Lewis, Andrea Boccelli, Katherine Jenkins, Gary Barlow, Kylie Minogue and many more.
Sean Jones continues in the role of Mickey in Blood Brothers. Other stage credits include: Aladdin; Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan; Cinderella; Snow White (UK Tour); Macbeth (UK Tour and Singapore); and Jacqueline’s Wilson’s world premiere of Wave Me Goodbye (Theatr Clwyd). TV credits include: Emmerdale; The Royal Today; and Hollyoaks.
Completing the current cast for 2023 is Joe Sleight (Eddie), Danny Whitehead (Narrator) and Timothy Lucas (Sammy), Josh Capper (Neighbour), Sarah Jane Buckley (Mrs Lyons), Tim Churchill (Mr Lyons), Jess Smith (Brenda), Tori Hargreaves (Donna Marie/Miss Jones), Connor Bannister (Perkins), Graeme Kinniburgh (Postman/Bus Conductor), and Nick Wilkes (Teacher/Policeman).
I’ve seen Blood Brothers countless times and I have to say that it’s always been a fantastic show to see, last night’s opening night at Venue Cymru was no exception, we know that the show is well polished and expect some amazing performances from the cast of each show and the evening was one of laughs, shocks and tears.
For those that have never seen Blood Brothers, the story is one of brothers separated at birth with each on their own journey through life, but as fate would have it they cross paths which leads to many ups and downs throughout their lives.
Blood Brothers is a powerful drama with a musical touch, the cast is superb to watch and listen to as the story unfolds giving us a story that builds up and tears down your emotions from start to finish.
It’s great to see Sean Jones as Mickey again, he is so wonderful to watch as he brings the different ages of the character to the stage, from the young 7 to almost 8 Mickey through his teens and eventually to adulthood. The performance throughout is one of the many reasons that I love the show, it’s never quite the same without Sean’s Mickey.
Joe Slate who played Eddie brought us a great performance as the brother that has been given a better chance at life than Mickey, his performance with Sean and the other cast was a joy to watch.
The Johnston twins’ mother is played by Niki Colwell Evens and I have to say I felt all the passion and emotions that her character was going through with her performance, you really feel the moments of love and loss that Mrs Johnstone is going through. Her musical pieces were performed beautifully.
Danny Whitehead plays the Narrator in this production and I really enjoyed his version of the part, his delivery was easy to understand and was one of the best performances of the part that I have seen over the many years.
The set design and lighting of Blood Brothers have always been something that has looked amazing every time I’ve seen the show and it still looks amazing, the set changes change seamlessly and the lighting certainly adds to the mood and emotions of scenes when it is needed. The sound mixing is spot on, the sound FX are perfectly timed for the scenes. Add to this the music that is so wonderful to listen to as are the lyrics to the songs and you have one of the best theatre productions you may see this year.
Opening night of Blood Brothers at Venue Cymru ended with a full standing ovation at the theatre and this only goes to show how amazing this show is and why it has been running for almost 40 years, the cast may change but the production values of the show are always high and it shows.
Blood Brothers is on at Venue Cymru in Llandudno from the 8th of August until the 12th of August, you can book tickets now via their website at www.venuecymru.co.uk.
An opening night with a Standing Ovation
Event Title: Blood Brothers at Venue Cymru
Event Description: Bill Kenwright's legendary, award-winning production of the international smash hit musical, Blood Brothers continues to tour across the UK.
Start date: August 8, 2023
End date: August 12, 2023
Location name: Venur Cymru
Address: The Promenade, Penrhyn Cres, Llandudno LL30 1BB
Performer: Niki Colwell Evans, Sean Jones
Currency: £
Summary
Blood Brothers is an amazing and powerful show that will have your emotions flowing.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
