Blood Brothers—Triangle Productions!—NE Portland

“…Thicker Than Water”

     This popular, dramatic musical is written by Willy Russell and directed and designed by Donald Horn.  It is playing at their space, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd. (free parking lot to the W. of the bldg.) through March 21st.  For more information, go to their site at www.trianglepro.org or call 503-239-5919.

    “Growing up is hard to do.”  And family dynamics ain’t so easy, either.  Sibling rivalry, in the early stages of maturity, can often be a bitch, but one gets over it, as we continue life’s journey…or do we?  Do the same rules hold for twins…and, how about twins separated at birth…and not knowing they had a twin brother?  This is the case with the Johnstone boys from England during the early 70’s.

    It seems Mrs. Johnstone (Caitlin Brooke), barely able to make ends meet as a cleaning lady, happens to have an overabundance of babies, as she, “went dancing,” as she puts it.  But the newest addition will be two--twins.  But her employer, Mrs. Lyons (Lisamarie Harrison) and her husband (Jeremey Southard), are childless, well -off, and she offers to take one of them off her hands, with the proviso that the boys never know it.

    Inevitably, of course, Mickey (Tyler Hendrix), with his birth mother, and Edward (Richie Stone), with the adopted mother, grow to be friends, although they are raised in very different class structures.  Mickey has his older brother, Sammy (Michael Castillo), who is a bit of a hoodlum, and has a girlfriend, Linda (Hannah Wilson), but Edward is a bit of a loner, thus the need for a friend.  The plot thickens as they grow older, and jealousy and envy raise their ugly heads, both with the mothers and their boys.  You must see it to discover the struggles, and how it all turns out.

     Also, in the cast, are Lindsay Reed and Jason Coffey, filling-out various roles.  And the omnipotent Narrator (Shawn Rogers), who also takes on many different guises, not unlike the Stage Manager of Our Town, or the Bandit in The Fantasticks.  There are songs along the way, very much a part of the plot (music direction by Colin Alexsei Evans Shepard and choreography by Sara Mishler Martins), but no songs were listed, so can’t tell you the names, only to say the singers are all very accomplished in their renditions.

    This is a powerful story, and the friend I was with, Dave, who had seen it before, was even more moved by this production.  It plays like a Greek tragedy, knowing that these characters are fated to their destinies, which cannot be changed.

    All the cast turn in exemplar performances.  Both the mothers, Brooke and Harrison, are equally convincing in their portrayals of women, trapped by circumstances, to rail against the Fates till the end.  And the sons, Hendrix and Stone, are perfect in their roles and have voices to match.  Rogers is in excellent voice, too, as the multi-complex Chorus, commenting on the action but unable to interfere.  And Wilson, as the girlfriend, has already shown her terrific talents as a singer in other shows (chiefly, as the young Liza in a production here), but now is unrecognizable as the awkward, gangly young woman…and a real compliment to her gifts as an actor here, as she is, in reality, a lovely, young lady, and assume (and hope) we will see much more of her onstage.

    Horn may have his best production to date yet in this play!  He always puts on exceptional productions and this is no exception…may he, and Triangle, Live Long and Prosper!

    I highly recommend this show.  If you do choose to see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

--DJS