I will tell you a secret, dear reader: I hate Blood Brothers. It reminds me of school trips and the smell of old ladies. It’s melodramatic, aggressively 1980s, and the score uses midi keyboards and jazz saxophone with reckless abandon. Bob Thompson and Bill Kenwright’s 2022 remount of the production, however, is fantastic.

If you have somehow managed to avoid Blood Brothers until this point in your life, it tells the story of Mrs Johnstone, a working-class mother in Liverpool who discovers she is having twins. Struggling to care for the children she already has, she worries those two extra mouths to feed will result in her children going into care. Enter Mrs Lyons, a wealthy woman who cannot have children. She convinces Mrs Johnstone to give her one of the twins, and she will raise him as if he were her own. The musical sees the two boys grow up, and their mother’s efforts to keep them apart.

If you are a fan of musical theatre, you should see the show solely for Niki Colwell Evans, who plays Mrs Johnstone. She is remarkable throughout: her voice powerful and expressive, her ability to age from 20 to 50 in front of our eyes astonishing, the raw emotion she offers to the part breathtaking. This is a very easy part to over- or under-do, and she pitches every moment perfectly.

The rest of the cast is also excellent and sits authentically in the world of mid-20th century Liverpool. By far the best part of the original musical is the script – Russell weaves truth into everything he writes, no matter how outlandish it may be – and the ensemble performs almost all of it with ease and style. Josh Capper, as Mickey, is a particular standout: refreshing and energetic, his physicality is fantastic, body and manner shifting deftly from one state to another as Mickey grows, changes and struggles.

If there’s one critique it’s that the ensemble is underused. Particularly towards the beginning, we get lots of moments with Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons on their own, next to their respective houses on either side of the stage. In smaller productions, this may be fine, but on a stage as big as the Donald Gordon Theatre’s, it begins to feel laboured.

The consistent presence of the ensemble in latter parts revitalises the show and offers a solution to this problem. They may not have songs to sing, but their energy could have been used to evoke the hustle and bustle of Liverpool, to hammer home the claustrophobia of feeling like everyone knows you’ve done something wrong, and to create a sense of community within the council estate Mickey calls home.

Similarly, the ensemble could have provided a solution to the biggest gripe I have with the show: The Narrator, played by Richard Munday. Certainly an excellent performer, with vast stage presence, the role is though one of Blood Brothers’ most dated parts. He’s used almost as a pantomime villain, sneaking up on characters and peering round from corners.

Later, when Munday blends into the ensemble, queuing for benefits and acting as a stall owner at the carnival, his looming presence is less stark, and heightens the sense of anxiety and paranoia his character was intended to invoke. Had the ensemble been more present throughout, there would have been more opportunity for moments like this.

All this aside, the show is fantastic. The cast and creative team have crafted a powerful glimpse into class differences, family values and the realities of living in Liverpool in the 1970s. It’s funny, touching, and honest. Even if you hate Blood Brothers as much as I do, I’d recommend you catch this production. It might just give you a new way of seeing it.

Blood Brothers, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tue 29 Nov

On until Sat 3 Dec. Tickets: £18.50-£73.50. Info: here

words HARI BERROW