“There’s a man gone mad in the town tonight, he’s gonna shoot somebody down.”
This implies that the affair is going to have serious consequences. This line should be read out sadly by the narrator indicating the deep upset Mickey must be feeling. The lighting should be kept dim adding to the tense atmosphere.
“He’s…Mickey…Mickey’s got a gun.” Mrs Johnstone should be saying this breathlessly with a startled expression on her face. She should be dressed in worn out, cheap clothing because of her working class background. The lighting here should be dark to add to the dramatic mood. Linda and Mrs Johnstone must be fearful and have worried facial expressions.
“Today, Today, TODAY.” The narrator should say this clearly and out aloud. The repetition on the words creates the effect and shows the audience this day was feared but unfortunately came. There should be sharp, dark lighting to reflect the sad, tense mood. The sound effects should emphasise on the word, “Today.”
As Edward is trying to reassure Mickey and tell him to think about his actions, Mickey is warning him off from a distance. “Stay where you are!” Mickey should really exclaim this and show his thorough frustration. Mickey should be dressed in slightly scruffy but casual clothing, due to his background and upbringing. Mickey’s facial expressions have to dominate his feelings. The audience should be able to feel his emotions.
“Friends! I could kill you. We were friends weren’t we? Blood Brothers, was it? Remember?” Here Mickey if furiously answering back to Edward who is denying the fact that him and Linda had an affair. Edward tries convincing Mickey that he is just friends with Linda. Mickey needs to get across how hurt and betrayed he is feeling. His tone of voice in his speech should reflect this.
“Yes, Mickey, I remember.” This response from Edward implies that he is genuinely feeling a sense of guilt and knows what he did was wrong. Edward’s facial expressions should really show how apologetic and penitent he is. Edward, throughout the whole play is dressed smartly displaying his upper class.
“Does my child belong to you as well as everythin’ else?” The atmosphere is apprehensive and Edward and Mickey’s friendship is really losing itself. They are both probably becoming more and more uneasy about the whole situation. Mickey is challenging Edward now, saying that even the child he has with Linda may be Edwards for all he is aware of.
“Mickey! Don’t Shoot Eddie. He’s your brother. You had a twin brother.” This part of the scene is totally crucial as the play reaches a very striking point. Mrs Johnstone should express her fear and her eyes should be tearful. She should be able to capture the feelings of the audience. The well anticipated news has been leaked by Mickey’s mother herself. Everything in this play has lead up to this and Mickey’s reaction really needs to show how shocked he is and clearly emphasising the confusion and disbelief.
“I could have been…I could have been him!” Mickey is realising his ‘friend’ was his brother all along; he is trying very hard to come to terms with this news. It speculates everything that must be going on in their minds and just how far Mickey must be thinking about the past. Mickey is realising that it could have been him that got given to Mrs Lyons instead of Edward and how much of a better life he could have had. He seems to be reflecting on everything that could have been. He should be screaming in total disbelief at this point. Mickey must be feeling lonely, vulnerable and cheated. Firstly Edward and Linda, then his mother could it possibly get any worse for him? There should be a spotlight on Mickey so the full impact of the effect has on him can be seen. This is the vital part of the whole play, where the entire story unfolds, the secrets are out and Edward and Mickey are both shot dead. The ending is seriously tragic as the assumption made near the beginning comes out completely true. – “They say…they say that if either twin learns that he was once a pair, they shall both die immediately.” It is particularly clever as the audience put their belief in this superstition expecting it to give them a dramatic ending. That, it did.
“And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class?” This being said by the narrator is a good way of rounding off the whole play. It really signifies what it has all been about and reminds the audience of the message given. The ending lines should be put across quietly with a low atmosphere reminding everyone of the superstition and tragedy that proved it right. The two social classes mixing really raises questions on whether it is right at all, and if even that could have been at the centre point of the whole issue. We can never really say why it had to be such a tragedy but what we do know is that Edward and Mickey were always going to find out and it was never going to give us the happy ending everyone desires.
