Blood Brothers context cards

What happens at the end of Act I?

• Mickey and Edward become best friends and 'blood brothers', despite their mothers' disapproval.

• Mickey and Edward have a big fight and decide to never speak again.

• Mickey and Edward discover they are actually related by blood.

• Mickey and Edward are separated by their families and cannot meet again.

What are some of Willy Russell's popular works?

• Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, and Blood Brothers.

• The Importance of Being Earnest, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Death of a Salesman.

• Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre.

• Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello.

Who is Willy Russell?

• An English actor known for his roles in various films.

• An English dramatist, lyricist, and composer known for works like Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, and Blood Brothers.

• A famous British painter from the 20th century.

• A renowned English novelist famous for his historical fiction.

What is Mrs Johnstone's situation at the beginning of the play?

• She is a wealthy woman with no children.

• She is a 30-something woman who looks much older, has many children, cannot pay her bills, and her children are hungry.

• She is a young woman with a stable job and one child.

• She is an elderly woman living alone with no financial issues.

What role does the Narrator play in Blood Brothers?

• The Narrator is a character who interacts with the protagonists directly.

• The Narrator is all-knowing, slightly menacing, and comments on the action, reminding the audience of the tragedy.

• The Narrator serves as a comic relief throughout the play.

• The Narrator is a silent observer who does not influence the story.

What is the opening scene of Blood Brothers?

• Mrs Johnstone begs the Narrator to tell her ‘it’s not true’, and the Narrator reveals the Johnstone twins were separated at birth.

• The Narrator introduces the setting of the play and describes the lives of the Johnstone family.

• The twins meet for the first time in a dramatic confrontation.

• Mrs Johnstone celebrates the twins' birthday with a large party.

What happens in the middle of Act I?

• Mrs Johnstone gives birth to twins and reluctantly gives one to Mrs Lyons, who then creates a superstition about twins secretly parted.

• Mrs Johnstone decides to keep both twins and raises them together in a loving home.

• Mrs Lyons adopts a single child from an orphanage and raises it as her own.

• Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons become best friends and start a business together.

What superstition does Mrs Lyons use to convince Mrs Johnstone?

• She convinces her that bad luck will follow if she tells anyone.

• She tells her that the baby will be cursed if she speaks about it.

• She plays on her belief in superstition to have her swear on a bible to tell no one about the deal.

• She claims that a family member will die if she reveals the truth.

What was Willy Russell's first play?

• Keep Your Eyes Down, written in 1971.

• Educating Rita, written in 1980.

• Shirley Valentine, written in 1986.

• Blood Brothers, written in 1983.

Who was Marilyn Monroe?

• A famous Hollywood actress who became addicted to anti-depressants and died from an overdose.

• A renowned scientist known for her work in physics.

• A popular singer in the 1960s who won multiple Grammy Awards.

• A famous author who wrote classic novels in the 20th century.