Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Blood Brothers started life as a play touring UK schools written by Willy Russell. Russell later adapted the play with music he had written. Willy Russell’s other plays include Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine. Edward’s opportunities in a middle-class family lead to a secure job in the business sector, buffering him from political pressures
Mr Lyons represents a Conservative father who is mostly absent from the home and leaves the parenting to the mother: Mrs Lyons does not work and is supported by her husband: she is presented as isolated within her marriage: Middle-class were largely unaffected, those who did work in decling industries were running them nd had transferable skills like management so could get new jobs Britians traditional industries were in the decline because they were insufficient in keeping up with forgein competition and weren't economically viable anymore, Margaret Thatcher closed them down.Social attitudes were slow to change, families expected to have a 'nuclear' structure (mother, father, children). Single parent famillies were frowned upon. Many married women during the 1960s and 1970s were prescribed medication to treat anxiety and nerves However, Russell presents her as a sympathetic character to challenge Conservative stereotypes about single mothers: Mrs Johnstone is an aspirational, loving and honest mother
Up until 1969, it was common practise to institutionalise women who did not reflect an attitude in keeping with social norms The children of the town sing songs about Mrs Lyons, calling her “the mad woman”, reflecting gender stigma associated with mental health Youth Culture = behaviour and interests of teenagers, includes fashion, music and hobbies, associated with freedom and potential. She insists on sheltering Eddie from the “rough boys”, isolating him from the working-class families to protect him from their negative influence The superb score includes Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True. The cast of the Blood Brothers 2022 Tour.
Comments
The narrator acts in the roles of minor characters within society and delivers negative judgements of Mrs Johnstone’s family: “Goodbye to the riff-raff/The trash and the trouble”
Margaret Thatcher , Prime Minister at the time, famously said that hard work was the answer to success Mrs Lyons represents a Conservative mother who is unable to deal with the few challenges she faces:She tells audiences she was abandoned by her husband and left with seven children to feed and raise
Great Deal 
New Comment