Brotherly Love

“How far into the tour of Blood Brothers are you?” I ask of actor Sean Jones.

“24 years,” comes the answer. “Some people get time off for good behaviour. I misbehaved and got extra time added on.”

We’re not talking prison sentences but Willy Russell’s musical Blood Brothers, first produced in 1983 in Liverpool and still touring today. There have been London West End productions, UK and international tours with the show collecting an Olivier Award for best new musical along the way.

Sean has been there much of the time – 24 years in total, moving from understudy as brother Mickey to playing the role for real both in the West End and on tour. He returns with the show to York Grand Opera House from April 1-5. He’s lost count of the number of times he’s appeared in Blood Brothers in York although does recall the first time he came to the city was to appear in an Agatha Christie play.

How difficult is it to keep his performance in Blood Brothers fresh after such a long time in the same role? “The freshness comes from getting new cast members who always bring new things to the table. And we get new venues each week with a new audience which also helps keep it fresh,” he says.

Then there’s the musical itself – the story of twin boys separated at birth and raised with different families, one rich and one poor. “Mickey is a dream role to play. It’s iconic. I still enjoy it – and that’s the true test,” he says.
He even enjoys the touring, of performing in a different town or city each week. “I’m a weird beast in that I like living out of a suitcase, just like music hall and variety acts living out of a trunk. When I’m not touring I dream about still being on the road,” he says.

“You find something in everywhere you go. You get a good feel for the country. In this day and age town centres are suffering but if you go further afield there’s beautiful countryside.”

The show has changed little over the years. He quotes a line from Blood Brothers to illustrate his point: “As constant as the changing weather – the more things change, the more they stay the same”, adding “At its heart it’s still very much the same show as it was 20-odd years ago. “It’s interesting how the cycle of poverty and deprivation comes round again. There are lines that still resonate today.

“You do notice that some jokes that were funny 25 years ago seem a little bit problematic. I’ve also noticed recently interest in the treatment of Mickey’s mental health and medications.

For Sean it’s important to be respectful to Russell’s work. “He wrote a series of plays that are in the psyche of British theatre - Shirley Valentine, Educating Rita and Blood Brothers, all with strong female leads, and on a lesser level Breezeblock Park and Our Day Out. They’re icons of British theatre.”

Sean has enjoyed working with many different actors over the years. “I love it really because I’m an actor who thrives on change. I try very much to stay in the moment when I’m on stage, so when I’m working with a new actor it brings out different acting muscles in me. It’s a new energy, something different for me to react to. It’s probably minuscule in terms of what the audience can see but for me it keeps me alive and re-energises me. So I never get bored.”

The show has also changed his personal life. He and actress Tracy Spencer met and married while appearing in the show, although the couple are no longer together. New born daughter Eleanor spent four years on the road with them.

“She’s 15 now and I would be a fool to bet against her being in the show one day,” says Sean. “She’s following in our footsteps as performers and has already stated a claim to the part of Linda being hers one day.”

Sean isn’t saying if this is his last tour as Mickey. “I try not to be too certain about the future because it’s very uncertain when you are a performer. There’s no point in me saying I’m definitely not going back,” he says.
“If the producers are happy to keep me in employment and it suits my life at the time I’ll always say ‘yes’.”

Blood Brothers: York Grand Opera house, April 1-5
Box office: atgtickets.com/York