Guide to ‘Blood Brothers’
THEMES TECHNIQUES
Motherhood Use of songs
Class Symbol of Monroe
Friendship Role of narrator
Life chances Parallel lives
Love Indexical signs of class
Freedom v. restrictions Imagery of superstition
Nature v. nurture. Imagery of dreams and longings. Superstition
Growing up Brechtian epic theatre techniques
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 1 MICKEY :
brought up in a large family which struggles financially but has a loving mother, ‘Mam’. Uses Liverpool dialect and lexis. Plays on the street with brothers and sisters and other children. Friendly and curious child who looks up to Sammy, his brother. Makes friends with Linda and accepts her, even though she’s ‘a girl’. Willing to break rules especially for friendship but also timid about authority figures like the policeman. Very sad when Edward moves away like losing someone very close to him. As he grows up in adolescence becomes shy of girls, finds it hard to express his feelings especially about Linda. Has happy late teens with Linda and Edward before things go sour. Does not do well at school. Has factory job but it does pay bills. On the dole worries about providing for Linda and his baby. This leads to him falling out with Edward – they don’t understand each other. Mickey has had to grow up too quick. The hold-up shows his desperation .Sammy’s idea and Mickey returns to following his older brother’s lead. His imprisonment leads to a breakdown because despite his role and family, he is still very young and he feels he has let people down. The pills symbolise his unhappiness as does the link with Monroe. The pills make him more withdrawn and probably lead to Linda’s friendship with Eddie. Mickey feels unmanned and useless because Edward has provided everything. When he finds out that Linda and Edward are together his jealousy and pride are unleashed. Sadly at the end he says that he wishes he was the brother who had been given away breaking his mother’s heart and showing the anguish and pain of his later life. The narrator suggests that his sufferings are because of the class he was born into which led to his downfall.
EDWARD LYONS
Brought up as an only child in a middle class environment. His ‘mother’ is over- protective and his father rather withdrawn. Uses Standard English and has a ‘posh’ accent.
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 2 Not usually allowed to play on the street and Mickey seems to be his only real friend in childhood. Can be quite rebellious when not allowed his own way as when he calls his mother a ‘fuckoff’ Very happy to play with Linda and Mickey and looks up to Mickey for knowing certain words and for his behaviour. Naïve about the policeman but being middle class allows him to get away with being cheeky. Very sad to move away from Mickey. Interested in girls but at his all boys public school he never meets any. His education and reading means that he can tell Mickey what to say to girls. Very happy to renew his friendship with Mickey and Linda in adolescence. Share happy times. Has feelings for Linda but cannot express them because of loyalty to Mickey. Sheltered life shows he cannot understand Mickey’s situation in the factory and later on the dole. Wants to help but does not know how and giving money to Mickey only insults him. Tries to help but cannot hide his feelings for Linda. Although he seems to have more advantages he is not necessarily better off in life or happier. He has material things but : - a neurotic mother - does not marry the girl he loves - his best friend/brother is estranged from him - his life lacks warmth.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
An attractive working-class girl [like Marilyn Monroe} who had to get married because she was pregnant. Probably Catholic Liverpudlian, she had many children early which sapped her strength and beauty. The husband left leaving her as a single parent poor and pregnant with twins. Has problems dealing with her children especially Sammy. Struggles for money and buys things on the ‘never, never’. Has a job as a cleaner [probably moonlighting] and feels sympathy for childless Mrs. Lyons. Agrees to give up a child through pressure and worry. Convinced the child will get a better deal. Superstitious and believes the twins must never know. When it comes to giving up the child, finds it hard and goes to see the baby every day until sacked and her superstition used against her.
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 3 Warm, profane [uses bad language] and accepting. Harsh on Edward at first because worried. The move to the country is a dream come true for her. Sammy still gives her trouble setting fire to school but she defends him. Gives Edward the locket as she feels sorry for him and can’t quite give up the link. Accepting of the boys going to the porn cinema. Accepts Linda’s pregnancy. She doesn’t judge people. Can only watch with despair Mickey’s disintegration. Warns Linda about the gun and then tries to intervene at the Council meeting. Mickey rejects her saying he wishes he had been Eddie. Her song ‘Tell me it’s not true’ shows her heartbreak and her sorrow. Narrator describes her as a mother ‘with a heart of stone’
Give three reasons why this is not fair. 1.
2.
3
Mrs. Lyons.
Middleclass, childless woman with a husband who works abroad and later is in his own business. Desperate for a child and makes a pact with her cleaning lady. Manipulative and plays on Mrs. Johnstone’s superstition. Goes to the lengths of pretending to be pregnant with padding. Follows through and takes a baby and then sacks the mother using emotional and financial blackmail. Lives in fear of discovery which unhinges her mind. Deceives even her own husband. When Mickey meets Eddie she is desperate to move and worried the truth will come out. Gives Edward financial security and does love him but ‘smothers’ him as she is paranoid about discovery. When the Johnstones move to the country she becomes more paranoid about them following her and tries to stab Mrs. Johnstone. She is described as depressed and needing a doctor, having turns. Illness is psychosomatic. Does not recognise Mickey in the locket and thinks he is Eddie. Is this guilt or symbolic that she is not the real mother?
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 4 At the end she is unhinged but tells Mickey of the affair so is responsible in one way for the death of the twins.
Give three reasons for her ‘madness’: 1.
2.
3.
Make a list here of four quotations about Mrs. Johnston and four about Mrs. Lysons.
!a
2a
3a
4a
1b
2b
3b
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 5 4b
THE NARRATOR
Tells us the story and links the scenes together. Comments on the action and challenges us as when he says that Mrs. Johnson is a bad mother. Helps create the atmosphere by telling us about superstitions. Gives a shape to the story which is told in episodes. Summarises passing of time e.g. when they move from young teenagers to Eddie going to college. In the stage show he often helps set up props and stage for smooth running of the show. Helps with stage as if controlling and arranging He appears as many characters like the milkman, bus conductor, teacher so takes part in the action. Makes him appear like fate, slightly evil. Gives us insight on occasions as when he sings ‘Light romance.’ Important role in traditional fairy tales - speaks in rhyme or in free verse linking back to fairy stories. This sets him apart from other characters Omniscient onlooker with inside information Also Brechtian reminding us this is a play and not real He is a social conscience and points out the right and wrong of situations
THE SONGS
Musicals used to be stories which stopped to sing a song. The modern musical uses songs to tell the story. Songs are used for many purposes: To tell the story e.g. Marilyn Monroe, Light Romance. To condense time e.g. Fairground song To express emotion e.g. Tell me it’s not true To explore character e.g. That boy. To create atmosphere e.g.Shoes upon the table To explore motivation e.g.My child Underscoring is used for dramatic moments
Original version of the play did not have songs. After Russell’s success with another musical he decided to add them. Many singers have played in this show around the world. Barbara Dickson was the first Mrs. Johnson and other women singers have included Carole King [1960’s icon) several of the 1980s group The Nolan sisters. Russell Crowe has played Mickey as has 1960s pop star David Cassidy.
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 6 Look up the following quotes and copy out and fill in. 1. To tell the story p.2
‘Then I found……………………………………………….overdue.’
2. To condense time p.52 ‘And who’d………………. …………………bring.’
3. To express emotion p. 70
Tell me it’s……………………..…………………..story.’
4. To explore character p.45
‘I wish……..………….like …….…guy.’
5. To create atmosphere p. 14
‘Shoes………………………………………killed.’
6. To explore motivation p.7
‘If my…………………….…………………………one’
Quiz
1. What is a blood brother?
2. Who was Monroe? Give three things she is used to suggest or symbolise in the play.
3. Why does Mrs. Johnstone find it so hard to manage?
4. Why does Mrs. Johnstone give up her child?
5. What does living on the never never mean?
6. Show 2 ways in which Mrs. Johnstone is superstitious.
7. Show 2 differences between the twins by the time they are 7.
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 7 8. What evidence is there that Mrs. Johnstone finds it hard to part from Eddie?
9. How does the policeman show the difference between being born in one class rather than another?
10.How does Sammy show his tendency for trouble from an early age?
11.Why is Eddie sent down from school? What does this show about him?
12.Mrs. Lyon thinks Eddie is in the locket with his mother. What does this tell you?
13.Why don’t people see they are twins?
14.Why does Mickey feel so awkward with Linda when he reaches adolescence?
15.Why is a job so important to Mickey and why does he crumble when he is on the dole?
16.Why do you think Mickey takes part in the robbery?
17.Why does Mickey need pills?
18.Why do you think Linda gets involved with Eddie?
19.Why does Mrs. Lyons tell Mickey about Linda and Eddie?
20.Does Mrs. Johnstone have a heart of stone?
1980s Britain and Thatcherism
Set in the 1980s , ‘Blood Brothers’ is set against the backdrop of Thatcherite Britain. The early and mid 1980s saw the height of Thatcherism in Britain. The first Conservative government since the 1970s Britain saw many changes particularly in social provision. Labour a traditional ‘people’ party concerned with providing a Welfare State and owning things like railways, gas and electric. Conservatives were concerned with ‘business’ and privatising things like transport and therefore no longer having control over prices. Many critics think that Russell based his play in Liverpool as a comment about changes in the 1980s as Liverpool is a traditional Labour stronghold with a large working class population. Although a time of economic boom as shown by the Lyon’s prosperity – the gap between rich and poor widened in working class areas where families had to rely on state handouts and the good nature of creditors [ e.g. Mrs. Johnstone] Thatcher was particularly unpopular amongst Labour supporters and having lived through riots, high unemployment{Take a letter Miss Jones] and the Falklands
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 8 Traditions of the musical
The first musical to tell a story and deal with social issues was ‘Showboat’ – racism.
Musicals use songs to further the action and reveal character and relationships.
BRECHTIAN TRADITION
Not strictly speaking a Brechtian play because of the emotion involved but does have some characteristics in common: Use of a narrator – talking directly to the audience Actors playing more than one part – actors changing role Asks question of us – asks us to make moral judgements – does Mrs. Johnstone have a heart of stone? Uses songs Points a lesson – here about class Lighting used expressionistically e.g Mrs. Lyons on the floor with a red light on her.
OTHER CHARACTERS
MR. LYONS Away working at the start allowing Mrs. Lyon’s deception Returns and seems sensible and worried about his wife but distant figure always at work Thinks his wife makes too much fuss Worried enough to move house to keep wife happy Later seen as part of 1980s recession putting men on the dole Becomes even more distant at the end as Edward has his own career Very much in the background in the last scene. Covers body in the scene we saw.
SAMMY Mickey’s older brother. We hear about him in Mickey’s poem ‘I wish I was our Sammy’ Mickey tells Edward about Sammy’s plate in the head – a sign of his mother’s stress with large family Sammy shows his aggressiveness in childhood games Burning of the school and the incident on the bus show that he is out of control and in trouble
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 9 We worry over the robbery because we know Sammy and the narrator and music make it ominous We are not surprised that he shoots someone.
POSSIBLE ESSAYS 1. What do you think about Mrs. Lyons and the way she is presented? [2007]
2. How does Russell present the theme of class? [2007]
3. Does Mrs. Johnstone have a heart of stone?
4. What role does the narrator play in ‘Blood Brothers’?
5. Do you think Edward’s life is always better than Mickey’s life?
6. What is the significance of fate in the play?
7. What part does Sammy play in the drama? Why is he there?
8. What part do the songs play in the drama?
9. What is the significance of the boys being twins? Why does the play start in childhood?
10.Discuss how Russell presents the theme of nature v. nurture?
11.Write about the relationship of Eddie and Micky and how it is presented.
12.To what extent do you think that the title is suitable for the play.
13.Imagine you are Linda. Look back over the past and write a journal entry about your thoughts.
14.How is Micky’s breakdown important to the play as a whole?
15.How is the character of Sammy or Mr. Lyons important to the play as a whole?
16.Show how Micky’s character changes throughout the play and explain the reasons for these changes.
17.How does Russell create a sinister atmosphere in the play?
18.To what extent is Micky responsible for his own death?
19.Give advice to an actor on how to present the part of Linda to the audience.
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 10 20.‘Blood Brothers’ has been described as a play about fate and class. Choose one of them and show how the theme is presented in the play.
21.How does Russell present the theme of motherhood in the play?
22.How does Russell present the themes of love and friendship in the play?
23.With which of the brothers do you identify most?
24.What does Russell suggest about life chances in the play?
25.What is the role of superstition in the play?
MAJOR THEMES
Class – the everyday life and trials faced by poorer members of society[creditors, large familes, no money, single parents, dole, petty crme etc]. The differences between the middle and the working class.
Fate/destiny – many argue that our lives are plotted out for us and whatever we do we cannot escape our fate. The philosopher Novalis puts an interesting spin on this ‘Character is fate.’ Suggesting who we are results in what happens to us.
Religion/superstition – Liverpool has a very large Catholic community. [Mrs. J] When strong religion and ‘old wives tales’ mix the combination is powerful!
Family – particularly mother/child relationship and the strength of brotherly love.
LANGUAGE
Willy Russell writes much of his play in Liverpudlian dialect. He chooses specific words and phrases which we associate with Liverpool e.g. he puts ‘like’ on the end of phrases
Much of the dialogue uses slang to emphasise class differences Mickey and Eddie are differentiated by speech patterns Names – Eddie is only called this by Mickey and Mrs. Johnstone his own ‘family’ call him Edward. His school call him ‘Lyons’ Mickey’s brothers are called names such as Darren Wayne and Sammy – these can be said to be traditionally associated with the working class
WHY A MUSICAL?
To keep people interested – originally designed for teenagers
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 11 Escapism – the music is not realistic – reminds us it is a play [ a bit like Brechtian epic theatre] Signals changes in the play and shows feelings of characters See notes on role of songs
Characters
How are characters stereotypical of their class?
Why do they behave the way they do?
How are they related to the themes?
Final thought The text is a play designed to be performed. You saw a performance so use examples to back up your viewpoint, show a different interpretation or argue a case
Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 12 Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 13 Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 14 Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 15 Tell me it’s not true/ Say I only dreamed it.’ 16