Blood Brothers (musical)

Blood Brothers is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Willy Russell and was produced by Bill Kenwright until his death in 2023 and the production was then picked up by Bill Kenwright Limited, a company founded by the late producer. The story is a contemporary nature versus nurture plot, revolving around fraternal twins Mickey and Edward, who were separated at birth, one subsequently being raised in a wealthy family, the other in a poor family. The different environments take the twins to opposite ends of the social spectrum, one becoming a councillor, and the other unemployed and in prison. They both fall in love with the same girl, causing a rift in their friendship. Russell says that his work was based on a one-act play that he read as a child "about two babies switched at birth ... it became the seed for Blood Brothers."

Originally developed as a high school play in Liverpool, Blood Brothers debuted in Liverpool before Russell transferred it to the West End for a short run in 1983. The musical won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and went on to a year-long national tour before returning for a revival in the West End in 1988 where it stayed at the Albery Theatre for three years, transferring to the Phoenix Theatre in 1991. The revival ran for more than 24 years in the West End, and played more than 10,000 performances, becoming the third longest-running musical production in West End history. It finally closed in November 2012. The musical has been produced with success on tour, on Broadway and elsewhere, and it has developed a cult following. Blood Brothers is often taught as one of the prescribed plays of GCSE English Literature in English schools.