College to Stage Blood Brothers

In a break from tradition, the 2014 College Senior School musical will be staged in Term 1 this year, rather than the usual Term 3. With a few short weeks until show time, the cast, orchestra and production team are well underway with their rehearsals for Blood Brothers; the story of Mickey and Edward, two brothers separated at birth.

Work began with a concentrated weekend of rehearsal time at camp in Ngaruawahia at the start of term where the cast read the show for the first time, led by principal leads, Jamie Hofer (Narrator),  Lili Taylor (Mrs Johnston), Lloyd David (Mickey), Joseph Bradshaw (Eddie) and Eden Hawkins (Mrs Lyons). 

Head of Drama and Director, Ms Emma Bishop and Vocal Coach, Mr Lachlan Craig started piecing together the start of Act 1, while the show orchestra worked with Head of Music and Musical Director, Mr Gerritsen. The students also had the opportunity to watch film of a professional West End production, the first opportunity that the students had to see their roles in context.

Hot on the heels of last year’s musical, West Side Story, winning the Best Musical for 2013 at the annual Auckland-wide Showdown Awards, Blood Brothers promises to be another highly entertaining, professional performance from our Senior School performing arts students.

Mark these dates in your diary!
Blood Brothers will play in Elliot Hall from Wednesday 9 April to Saturday 12 April. 
Tickets will be available from iTicket from 10 March.

Blood Brothers: A short synopsis

Blood Brothers is at first a heart-warming tale of brothers separated at birth, brought together again through friendship, not knowing of their brotherly ties. Their true relationship has been kept a secret by their guardians who have knowingly kept them apart because of their deeply seated superstitious beliefs.

Into adulthood, their lives continue to intertwine, although the deep divisions between the privileged life of Edward and Mickey’s poverty-stricken existence are wholly apparent. As they try to conquer the social divisions which hinder their friendship, they must deal with the harsh realities of class consciousness; Edward goes on to study at Oxford whilst Mickey is forced into a life of crime through unemployment.

As adults, they are caught up in a vicious love triangle with Mickey’s childhood sweetheart Linda. Mickey’s imprisonment and subsequent depression pushes Linda into the arms of the conciliatory Edward causing a desperate Mickey to take drastic action against his fraternal twin, ultimately exposing their true identities.