WIth more and more shows hitting the touring trail post-peak-Covid it was only a matter of time before Willy Russell's musical masterpiece Blood Brothers went back on the road.
So make a date at Manchester's Palace Theatre (February 15-26), York's Grand Opera House (April 5-9) or the final tour date, Theatr Clwyd in Mold (May 3-7) - three northern dates on the latest tour (full list here).
Bill Kenwright's multi-award-winning musical stars former X-Factor finalist Niki Evans as Mrs Johnstone, while veteran blood brother Sean Jones again plays Mickey, on what is said to be his final tour in the show. Joel Benedict joins the threesome as the middle-class brother, Eddie. If you don't already know the story, get out of your bunker and get a couple of tickets; you've got some catching up to do...
The 16-week tour has just begun, in Windsor, and takes in much of the country. Also joining the cast for 2022 are Carly Burns as Linda, Melissa Potts as Brenda and Jacob Yolland as the bus conductor.
Few musicals have been received with such acclaim as this one, rightly considered "one of the best musicals ever written", according to the Sunday Times, and Bill Kenwright’s production has long-since sailed past the 10,000 West End performances milestone – one of only three musicals ever to do so.
Rarely failing to elicit a final standing ovation, the epic tale of twins separated at birth and raised on different sides of the tracks was first performed at a Liverpool comprehensive school in 1981 (presumably making it the biggest-earning school play in the history of school plays). It went on to get a pro run at Liverpool Playhouse in 1983 and hasn't stopped thrilling audiences since, triumphing across the globe.
Niki Evans first came to public attention in the 2007 run of X Factor, when she reached the semi-final. After her debut single Love Me No More in 2008, she went on to play Mrs Johnstone in London's Phoenix Theatre between 2008-2010. She has since appeared in several other shows, notably Kinky Boots and Legally Blonde.
More details and tickets here