The set was set out as a poor council estate on one side and the rich upper class house on the other side, it fit in well to the direction and acting as on the council estate the speech was improper and all in slang also the area look like a poor council estate, the play writer shows how poor they are as Mrs Jonestone cant afford to pay the milkman, also she has debt collectors knocking on the door taking children’s toys away. But on the other side of the stage is Edwards house where is Educated in a public school and he is very polite and speaks proper English. His house is big and is very clean and tidy unlike Mickey’s.
The costumes were very appropriate as they showed the characters class status, Mickey and his friends on the estate were very messy, untidy and the cloths look old. But with Edward he was dressed smart, he was clean and the clothes looked new. The costumes gave meaning to the characters in the play as it would tell you straight away there class and background.
The Music in the play was very effective as it helped us to feel emotion in the happy and sad parts of the play. When the characters were happy to music makes you feel happy, the tension is built by the music changing from a happy and exciting song to a sad and very emotional song. When the atmosphere changes to a sad one the music volume is raised to make you listen to the song and feel emotion with the play.
The lighting was used to help set the atmosphere, when the children were playing on the estate the light was bright and the stage was very well light that is to show a happy atmosphere and that the children are enjoying themselves. When to scene changes to Edwards house the light is much darker to show the relaxed and simple atmosphere. There went many different lighting effects used but I feel that the lighting that they did use created a great atmosphere whether it is a happy or sad atmosphere.
The actors played the characters very well, they were adults playing children, and they showed that they were children by there physical characteristics. The Actor that played Mickey showed that he was a young child as he showed he was immature by the way in which he was talking; he was also dressed as lower class schoolboy. I feel that the actors were very successful in making us believe that the adult actor was playing a child, He made the audience believe that he was actually a naughty schoolboy.
A Scene where the children were playing a game where they shoot each other was very effective as it was only a game that Mickey and his friends new. Edward had never played a game like that has his upper class family would not allow games like that. The actors showed good skill in creating atmosphere and tension by sing and dancing, as the game was getting more and more exciting for the children the singing gets louder and louder. The lighting used was great in creating an atmosphere of danger even though they were only children playing games. The scene was so real you could even forget that they are children and it could be a game that the children play for real when they are older.
Final Statements!
I had previously read the book blood brothers, so I understood the story before I even watched the play. But watching the play helped me to understand the characters and made the story more enjoyable than read
The Poster for blood brothers
Shows the bright world of Edwards’s life and the dark world of Mickey’s life. This poster is noticed everywhere as the play of blood brothers.
There are many social and historical links in this play; the difference in class has a lot to do with the social events of life as Edward leads a very different social life to Mickey as when they are older Edward always has money due to the fact that Edward has much high education to Mickey but he got that due to his class.
I very much enjoyed the play blood brothers, as it was very much the same as the book so I found it easy to understand. But the actors played the parts very well and created the right atmosphere and tension when needed.
