Mrs Johnstone’s reads out a monologue and when she mentions her dancing, she starts to sing it, an effective technique because the audience are immediately drawn in. Through the use of narration, it explores the idea of fate, creating dramatic irony through the audience’s knowledge of the twins’ fate, whilst the brothers remain unaware of their end. Firstly only Mrs Johnstone, Mrs Lyons and the audience know who the twins really belong to. Also as the audience we are the only ones who knew that in the end the boys would die from the very beginning. It emphasizes the sense of childhood innocence in the first half of the performance. We see Mickey and Eddie playing childhood games. We find it more emotional as we await their death.
Eddie and Mickey were able to portray the ages of 7, 14 and 21 very well. When Mickey first appears on stage, for example, at the age of 7 his hair was messy and he had mud stains on his face and knees. We could tell, by looking at him, he was just being a child. Not only did his costume help, but it highlighted his working class background. The sweater vest was torn and far too big, we could only assume it was a hand-me-down. On the other hand Eddie was neat and tidy and very clean. The actor was still able to play a 7 year old by using gestures and vocal techniques. He’s very academic but when he puts up his hand it reminds us of his true age. Moreover, when Mrs Johnstone tells Eddie he’s not allowed to play with Mickey, telling him to go or the bogeyman will get him, a young boy wouldn’t know it’s just a story.
Mickey’s character reads the “nearly eight” monologue with such enthusiasm and is full of life, energetic and quick, and easily distracted. The audience sees him as a child that embraces life. After Mickey came out of prison his speech was slow and he moved as if he couldn‘t be bothered anymore, little things didn’t matter anymore. By using gesture and movement, the audience understands he was depressed. It’s hard for the audience to imagine the energetic child they saw minutes ago had transformed into a grown man. I felt sympathetic towards Mickey; he had a pregnant wife to take care of and no job. Eddie was Mickey’s best friend and his unknown twin, yet they were the complete opposite. Eddie was a young graduate with a successful future ahead, while Mickey was just an old man with no future.
Throughout the entire play, the stage was split in half. The council estate on one side and the middle class houses on the other. The director chooses to contrast the socio-economic classes, giving him the ability to use levels effectively. The council estate was dark and dingy, then as you looked to the right, a big house lights up the stage. Tension and atmosphere is created through the use of sound and music. When the narrator sings “The Devils Got Your Number” it was loud and fast pace, making it scary, whereas as the twins died the music was slow and sad. The last scene had an immense effect on the audience. Mickey was furious, pointing a gun at Eddie. Everyone one in the audience silent and still, waiting for a gun shot. The actors were able to hide the shot queue well. As the gun went, the lights flashed and the audience flew back in their seats.
The narrator was on stage throughout the whole play, either watching or telling us information that we needed to know. He acted as a window into the past of the lives of the characters. On stage he is dressed in a black suit, this gives him a neutral status, as we can’t identify anything about his character. It gives him a sense of secrecy throughout, and the fact that the other characters do not acknowledge him gives him a ghostlike quality. It looks as if he’s watching everything happen but can’t do anything about it. His main role is to act as a constant reminder to us of the brothers’ tragic fate. He also helps tell the story and explain the characters thoughts and feelings. Notably, as the show starts with the scene of the finale and it’s as if he is dressed for a funeral throughout the entire play.
Who was to blame for the twins dying? I believe that Mrs Lyons was the cause. She pressured Mrs Johnstone into giving her, her baby. Mrs Johnstone didn’t had the power to say no because she worked for Mrs Lyons and may have felt inferior. Willy Russell highlights socio-economic status and its impact on life. He wants the audience to understand the difference class made on life. He says that the British society in the 1960’s was unfair and unequal. Equal opportunities are still an issue of today, but for other issues such as race. From the production I learnt that it’s not only acting that helps create tension but things like props, lighting and costume enforce the effect, also how hard it must be to get into character, considering the feelings running through the characters mind.
To conclude, the features I thought worked well were the positioning of the two households, as it really showed the contrast between the classes. What also worked well was the tension in the final scene; the suspense sent waves of fright and expectancy thought the audience. Although all aspects of the play worked well, I feel some bits could have been improved. For example when Mrs Lyons attempts to stab Mrs Johnstone it could have been developed to look more dramatic and unexpected. Mrs Johnstone should have put up more of a struggle to stop the knife touching her. I also would have involved some sort of physical fight between the two mothers to increase the tension in the kitchen.
