Innisfail Town Theater (ITT) celebrated opening night of its spring production, Blood Brothers by Willy Russell this past Thursday in front of an enthusiastic crowd of more than 120 patrons.
The musical was first presented at London's Albery Theatre in 1988, and ran for a whopping 24 years. After nearly 10,000 performances in London, Blood Brothers came to be considered one of the top three West End plays of all time.
The script fell into the hands of local assistant director Laurie Kooy about three years ago, at which time she read it and instantly fell in love with it.
Kooy suggested ITT veteran Norma Hoppins might want to direct the show when she found out that Blood Brothers happened to be Hoppins' favourite musical. Innisfail Town Theater quickly supported the idea, agreeing that the play would be a wonderful showcase for the company's 35th anniversary, which is being celebrated this year.
Blood Brothers is a heart-wrenching tale -- one that addresses challenging themes such as class division, unemployment and betrayal. The story begins in Liverpool in the 1960s.
Two sons are born to an impoverished and abandoned mother of seven, Mrs. Johnstone, played by the silver-throated Tracie Skeet-Brook, who also acted as musical director for the play.
Mrs. Johnstone cannot make ends meet, and is distraught over what will happen with two more mouths to feed. In desperation, she succumbs to the pressure to give up one of her children to her childless employer, Mrs. Lyons, played by another longtime ITT actress, Jackie Moorhouse.
All efforts to keep the boys apart, so they will not discover each other's true identity, fail miserably and their lives become irrevocably intertwined. The end is tragic and Shakespearean, as the characters learn too late the cost of secrets kept.
The cast of 15, small for a musical but large for an ITT production, spent several months participating in a rigorous rehearsal schedule, developing their characters as well as learning the challenging musical numbers and lively dance steps that make up a strong portion of this classic story.
Several of ITT's veteran actors, such as narrator Stuart Little, Dona Edgar, the aforementioned Ms. Moorhouse and Ron King, return to the fold to participate in this anniversary production.
They are joined by recent alumni Levene Hobbs and Glen Carritt, and a host of newcomers -- Skeet-Brook as the optimistic but troubled Mrs. Johnstone, Dylan Hopkins and Eric Abraham, as the engaging title characters, Ashley Newman as the lively Linda, love interest to the brothers, Jordan Smith as the troubled Sammy, and talented chorus members Liz Bennett (who also choreographed the show), Khoal McMillan, Terri Hart and Lorraine Stuart.
Blood Brothers runs from April 24 until May 10 at the Ol' Moose Hall in Innisfail. There are still tickets available at the Leg Man (5036 50 St.) for most nights but they are selling quickly.
To find out more, or to purchase tickets over the phone, please call 403-227-5966.
Alanna Lindl has been an active member of Innisfail Town Theater for seven years.
