“But you know that if you cross your fingers, and if you count from one to ten, you can get up off the ground again.”
This shows that the children know it is all just a game. It is make believe and unreal. They think no real damage can come of this, but can it?
Willy Russell also, purposefully, jumps back seven years, as seven is a lucky number. Some people may believe in superstition more than others. If you are an unlucky person you may be more superstitious than a person who experiences a lot of luck. Many people believe it has something to do with class. Throughout the play we see that Mrs Johnstone is very superstitious whereas Mrs Lyons isn’t. In this case the class division shows that if you are used to being let down by the law, jobs and day to day life then you are more likely to believe in luck as you want and are in need of it more. Although if you have everything you could possibly want and are happy with your lifestyle, like someone living on an upper-class housing estate, you are less likely to believe in luck, as you don’t need it.
Therefore, seven years ago, when the twin’s mother, Mrs Johnstone, gave birth to them, she made a deal with Mrs Lyons. She was bribed into giving up one of her newborns due to the fact that Mrs Lyons wanted a child.
“If either twin learns that he was once a pair, they shall both die, immediately.”
Again this shows Mrs Johnstone believes in superstition and it seems she has passed it on to her children. Also, during certain scenes we see the narrator wandering round both Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone in an eerie way. One of the narrator’s songs “Shoes upon the table” is all about superstition. It pin points all the “unlucky” things that have occurred and creates tension as we see how unlucky both the Johnstone’s and the Lyons’ get.
Foreshadowing is also shown in this scene. It is shown when Mickey gets “shot” and Linda stands in front of him. In the scene, when Sammy “shoots” at Mickey, he says, “You’re dead, you know y’ are I got y’ standin near that car,” and Linda replies with, “but when y’ did, his hands were hid, behind his back, his fingers crossed and so he’s not.” This lets us see the future in a way as it gets across to the audience that she clearly likes him when they are just young children. We see this more clearly throughout the play.
As the scene goes on, another theme is introduced. Class divisions. Russell gets across the idea of class divisions by setting his characters in a particular place. Also when Mickey, Linda and Edward are shooting at a target, Edward is told to say certain “things” to a policeman. The way in which the policeman treats Mr Lyons is the total opposite to how he treats Mrs Johnstone. When he enters the Lyons house, things such as, “it was more of a prank really,” and “Make sure you keep him with his own kind,” are said, showing that the two classes, both upper and working, are seen as entirely different people, almost as if they live in two completely separate worlds. We see the policeman saying to Mrs Johnstone, “you don’t wanna end up in court again, do y’?” and “well, there’ll be no more bloody warnings from now on,” creating the effect that you should almost expect people from the working classes to behave in a specific way. It is also showing that the Johnstone’s are often involved with the police.
When writing this play, Russell quoted, “The story sounds asif it is a Greek myth but there is no existing story, as far as I know, about twins secretly parted who end up killed on the day they learn the truth about themselves. It feels asif it is a story that has always existed and that is what I wanted to create.” This generally explains what Russell wanted his audience to understand; in order to do this, he finds various ways to keep them interested yet hanging on and wanting more within the scenes that follow. He puts many comical and loving scenes in Blood Brothers, also scenes, or incidents, of love and misfortune.
Throughout the play, the audience is constantly guessing. There are endless clues as to what happens in the following scenes. One of which is, in the scene where the children are playing, Linda is seen covering mickey so he doesn’t get upset. If I were to place the characters in specific positions on the stage, Mickey and Linda would be separate, from the “gang”, and at the front of the stage, whereas the rest of the children would be in a huddle and more towards the middle and the back of the stage. This would illustrate that Mickey and Linda have an obvious connection, which gives us an idea that there is an intimate occurrence between the two of them, later on in life.
This scene also shows the characters playing with toy guns. This could be seen as a bit of an insight, of what is going to happen in the future. When the characters are just young children, they have toy guns and are shooting at each other whilst acting out “Cowboys and Indians”. Again, this part of the play is showing that it is something that is just for fun, showing that there is nothing serious going on. Some people may look at Blood Brothers as a superstitious play, as when the characters grow in age, they become more and more interested in guns. As a result of this, someone is killed. Some believe this is due to children having guns when they are young and continue to use them, as they get older. Others, however, believe it has nothing to do with that, that it is just by chance that a person may happen to like guns when they are older. Also, some believe it is the background from which the person has come from. When referring to the play, we may be persuaded to believe this last point, and the fact that if you come from a working class background, you are more likely to get yourself into trouble. Although, we may be persuaded that if you have a toy gun from a young age, you are moving on to using bigger, better more realistic guns as you become older.
Willy Russell quoted,
“I am just not convinced that banning toy guns will do anything towards curbing the aggression in children”
This shows that Russell believes that having a toy gun as a child will not affect our later lives. I think he has portrayed this very well in his play, as he hasn’t used what he believes, he has left it open to the audience and has let them think of it what they wish.
When Mickey and Linda go to get Edward from his house, we see class division. I would, again, place Mickey and Linda together, yet centre stage and Edward would be seen through an upstairs window. This portrays the class division and shows us that Edward’s status level is a lot higher than Mickey and Linda’s. Also, complete opposition is shown.
During the song that occurs before the “fun, play” scene, the Narrator is singing and hinting to us that something is going to happen, in the long run, and it isn’t going to be good. To create tension, I would position the Narrator behind a brown, wooden table, which would be centre stage. He would be pacing up and down the stage to create the effect that he can see you no matter where you are. The lighting would be dark and eerie, with one constant spotlight; following the Narrator to show he is important and superior. The backdrop would consist of a bridge and the City of Liverpool, showing the audience exactly where the play is set.
My Narrator would be in a shirt and bow tie with a long, black, cloak-like coat, to resemble and evil devil, with jet-black trousers, and smart black shoes. He would look smart and nicely finished. When the atmosphere and dialogue is a lot calmer, the bow tie would hang loose and undone and the jacket would be situated on his arm or flung over his shoulder, to create a fun, more lively feel. He would be stood on certain stage blacks to show his different status levels throughout various scenes in the play.
This particular play can be seen and read in many different ways. People may refer it to superstition, luck and misfortune or to the fact that if you have ever done something wrong in your life, you will suffer the consequences. There are so many ways to look at this play, but I see it as a very meaningful, heart-warming story. From the way in which the characters are placed, the class divisions are shown, a love story is seen, violence is portrayed and also how divisions and discrimination can effect our lives. From the very beginning, to the very end!
