Although the play is essentially "dark", especially at the moments where the narrator steps in to make a social comment on the goings-on, it has many funny moments. One especially is when the milkman turns out to be the doctor.
The story moves at a cracking speed and you are never left bored with the action on stage.
Act One opens with Mrs Johnstone reflecting on what might have been, had she not got married and had so many children. She tells us of the times when she used to 'Go Dancin' and of a time when her relationship was a lot more romantic, and her husband said she was sexier than Marilyn Monroe. The scene is a terraced cobbled street in Liverpool, in a poor depressed neighbourhood, with lots of noise. The music starts off quite haunting and after several minutes, the first song 'Tell me it's not true' begins in the background, while the Narrator sets the story lines. Mrs Johnstone goes on to tell us how she fell pregnant very quickly and they had to get married quickly. No sooner than she had the first baby, then she was pregnant again, and the relationship began to fall apart. At 25 she had seven children and another on the way, when her husband walked out on her for another woman, attracted to her for the same things as he saw in his first wife.
Mrs Johnstone tells her employer that she is expecting twins and does not know how she will cope with two extra mouths to feed, and Mrs Lyons, the employer who is childless plants the idea that she will take one of the twins. In the song My Child, Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons both dream about the kind of life that the child could have, brought up in a beautiful home in a nice neighbourhood, making the assumption that this would mean he would not get into any trouble, and a pact is made. Mrs Lyons husband worked away most of the time, and she was able to con him into thinking she was pregnant.
The song Easy Terms paints the scenario about living on credit or the Never, Never; and draws a comparison with the new baby, who she will not have for long, being akin to only having catalogue goods for 'borrowed time'.
The song Shoes upon the Table begins with Mrs Lyons scaring Mrs Johnstone into believing that if the brothers ever find out they are one of a twin, they will both be killed, and she should never come looking for her other twin. The music is quite fast and loud at this time, with the Narrator continuing with the threats Mrs Lyons started.
Eventually the two kids meet while out playing, and become friends. They discover their birthdays are the same day, and make a pact to become Blood Brothers. There is a great scene with Mickey's brother Sammy and their friend Linda, together with Mickey (who remained with Mrs J), and Eddie (who Mrs Lyons took). Both mothers, having learned of this new friendship, tell the boys they should not play together but this does not stop them from meeting up during their growing up.
Act One ends with the fantastic upbeat song Bright New Day, with Mrs Johnstone and the whole cast. They are moving away to a new council house, at 65 Skelmersdale Lane, in the 'country', and signalling a new standard of life, after years in the terraced streets of Liverpool.
Act Two paints a much nicer scene with fields for the kids to play in, Mrs Johnstone has a new love in the Milkman, who treated her as her husband used to do, and things look much better, although one child accidentally burns the school down. Mickey is aged 14 at this stage and into girls, while the rest of the kids have moved out. Mrs Johnstone still thinks of Eddie, the child she gave away.
Although they have moved away, Eddie and Mickey still meet up, and their friendship has continued. The song That Guy is song by the two boys, and talks about what they admire about each other. The friendship with Linda has also blossomed throughout this time too. The song Summer Sequence takes us through the next few years of the threesome growing up, and relationship between Mickey and Linda blossoms, although the song 'I'm not saying a word' lets us know that Eddie has feelings for Linda too.
Things start to go wrong, with the closing of a factory causing job losses, and subsequently Mickey gets involved in a robbery, which goes wrong, leaving Linda on her own, as Mickey is imprisoned, and starts to suffer from depression. Linda and Mickey have already married by this time. Eddie is still on the scene supporting her.
The end scene is where Eddie is in a meeting and Mickey in a mad rage from finding out that his best friend was having an affair with his wife. Acting as if he had nothing else to lose he went and got the gun his brother hid under the floor boardings of his mums house at the front door, when he got onto the stage he pointed the gun at Eddie and told the other two characters to go. At that time there were four men acting as police men – two on both sides of the room and they were speaking to Mickey to let Eddie go. Then from out from nowhere the brother’s mum comes into the scene and tells Mickey to stop, then not knowing what to do she tell replies to Mickey after he says why not to her (after telling him not to shoot Eddie) she reveals that he and Eddie were brothers. The Mickey gives shocked face and then he accidentally shoots his brother and the second after killing his brother the armed police act quickly and shoot Mickey. And so ends the play with both families grieving over the twin brothers.
