Blood Brothers

Seven years have passed. Mrs. Johnstone sings about her lovely new house. She pays her milk bill on time, and the milkman even takes her dancing, telling her that she has legs like Marilyn Monroe. Of course, Sammy has burned the school down, but Mrs. Johnstone manages to get him out of a punishment by flirting with the judge, who also tells her that she looks like Marilyn Monroe. Mickey, meanwhile, has turned fourteen, and has begun to notice girls, although he’s very embarrassed about it. Donna Marie, just like her mother, is married and has several children already. Mrs. Johnstone prays that Edward is still all right, wherever he is (not like Marilyn Monroe, who has died).

Mrs. Lyons enters, teaching Edward how to waltz. Edward has been at boarding school, and is about to go back for another term. Mrs. Lyons embraces her son tightly, asking him if he’s had a good time at home, and if he feels safe in their home. The car horn honks, and Edward exits with Mr. Lyons.

Mrs. Johnstone enters, hurrying Mickey off to school, and telling him that she’s been hearing him talk about Linda in his sleep. Linda enters, waiting at the bus stop, and Mrs. Johnstone continues to tease her son. As she does so, Sammy enters—he tells his mother that he’s off to wait in the unemployment line for his latest check. Mrs. Johnstone allows him to go, and is amused by Mickey’s obvious crush on Linda.

The conductor—played by the Narrator—tells the teenagers to get on the bus, but then turns to Mrs. Johnstone. He asks if she’s happy, and whether she’s forgotten the past. He reminds her that she can’t escape eventually paying the price for her actions.

The kids get on the bus. Mickey and Linda pay a reduced price because they’re students, but Sammy attempts to pay the lower rate as well. When the conductor tells Sammy that he’s too old, Sammy produces a knife, and attempts to rob the bus. The conductor stops the bus and Sammy runs away, pursued by two policemen.

Linda and Mickey are left alone onstage, and Linda warns Mickey that Sammy’s going to be put into prison. She says that Mickey had better not ever go bad like Sammy, or she won’t love him anymore. Mickey tells her to stop saying that she loves him, but Linda retorts that she does, and that she doesn’t care who knows. Embarrassed, Mickey hurries off to school, and Linda follows him.

Meanwhile, at Edward’s school, a teacher confronts Edward about his secret locket, ordering him to take it off because it’s not an appropriate accessory for a boy. Edward refuses repeatedly, finally telling his teacher to “take a flying fuck.” The teacher, furious, threatens to have Edward suspended.

Back in Linda and Mickey’s school, a teacher is teaching a group of students about the Boro Indians of the Amazon. Although a know-it-all student tries to answer the teacher’s questions, the teacher decides to pick on Mickey, who hasn’t even been paying attention. Linda defends him, but the teacher grows angry as Mickey becomes increasingly defiant (and as Linda declares that she loves him). At last, the teacher suspends Mickey and Linda, both of whom leave the class.

We move back to Edward, now with Mrs. Lyons, who is appalled that her son has been suspended. In an effort to explain, he shows her the locket, which she looks at without opening, believing it to be from a girlfriend. Teasingly, she opens it up, but is appalled to find the picture of Mickey and Mrs. Johnstone within it. She questions Edward about where he got it, but he responds that it’s a secret. Edward asks his mother if she herself has any secrets, and then storms off to his room.

The Narrator enters, mocking Mrs. Lyons for feeling secure, and telling her that no amount of time can brush away the past. The devil, he warns her, still has her number, and will always know where to find her.

Mickey and Linda walk up a hill—Linda struggling in her high-heeled shoes. Her foot gets stuck, and she asks Mickey to put his arms around her waist and pull her out, but she soon begins teasing him. They can see the wealthy homes in the distance, and Mickey points out a boy looking out of his window that he sometimes sees from the hill. Linda, still teasing, begins to talk about how gorgeous the other boy is. She asks if Mickey is jealous, but he denies it. Frustrated, she storms off.

As Linda leaves, Mickey talks to an imaginary Linda, saying how much he wants to hold and kiss her, but that he can’t because he’s far too ugly and awkward. He sees the boy from the window—Edward, whom he doesn’t recognize—walking towards him, and imagines what it would be like to be suave and debonair, as he imagines Edward to be. Edward, meanwhile, sings about how he longs for Mickey’s freedom. The two boys duet, wishing for each other’s looks, and referring to each other as “that guy.”

The two boys meet, and Mickey asks for a cigarette. Edward says that he doesn’t have one, but that he could get some for Mickey if he wants. The two then realize each other’s identities, and are ecstatic to be reunited. Edward asks who the girl he saw with Mickey is, and Mickey explains that it’s Linda. The two discuss girlfriends, and Edward reveals that he doesn’t have any. Mickey bluffs for a moment, saying that he has many girlfriends, but then caves, explaining that he’s tried to ask out Linda many times, but every time he tries, he’s unable to say the words. Edward tries to give Mickey advice about Linda, and then suggests that they go and see a pornographic film together for tips. Mickey agrees, saying that they’ll need to stop at his home so that he can get money first. As the boys head off together, we realize that Mrs. Lyons has been watching the entire exchange. After a moment, she follows the pair.

The two boys walk along as, unbeknownst to them, the Narrator follows them (along with Mrs. Lyons). Edward offers to lend Mickey money, but Mickey says that he will ask Mrs. Johnstone for some. Edward says that they need to move quickly, before his unstable mother sees them. They exit. The Narrator sings his refrain, mocking the idea of security, and adding that the past can never be locked away, that there will always be a debt to pay, and that the devil is waiting.

Mickey and Edward burst into Mrs. Johnstone’s kitchen, with Mickey thrilled to reintroduce his mother to his old friend. Mrs. Johnstone is shocked but happy to see Edward, and she tells Mickey that he can take a pound to go see a movie. As Mickey goes to the other room for the money, Mrs. Johnstone asks if Edward still has the locket she gave him. Edward replies that he does. Slyly, Mrs. Johnstone asks the boys what movie they plan on seeing. Although they try to lie, Mrs. Johnstone catches them—but she is amused rather than angry. She tells them to leave, and as they exit, Edward marvels at how wonderful she is.

With the boys gone, Mrs. Lyons emerges to confront Mrs. Johnstone, demanding to know how long the family has lived in the area. Becoming increasingly hysterical, she asks whether Mrs. Johnstone intends to follow her forever. Mrs. Lyons adds that Edward refuses to remove the locket with Mrs. Johnstone’s picture. Mrs. Johnstone stammers that she only wanted him to remember her. Mrs. Lyons says that Edward will always remember Mrs. Johnstone, and will never truly be hers. She goes on, asking Mrs. Johnstone whether she’s told Edward the truth. Mrs. Johnstone protests that she has not, but Mrs. Lyons admits that even when her son was a baby, she felt that on some level, he knew. Saying that Mrs. Johnstone has ruined her, she vows that Edward will not be ruined as well. She offers Mrs. Johnstone any sum of money she wants if she will leave the area. The poorer woman refuses, however, saying that Mrs. Lyons should move if she wants to. Mrs. Lyons responds that the Johnstones will follow her wherever she goes. Completely insane, Mrs. Lyons then tries to stab Mrs. Johnstone with a kitchen knife. Mrs. Johnstone disarms her, calling her “mad,” and Mrs. Lyons curses her, calling her a witch, before at last exiting.

The neighborhood children emerge, singing about a mad woman who lives high on the hill, and warning the audience never to interact with her.

Meanwhile Edward and Mickey emerge from the movie, dazed and impressed. They gasp at the idea of naked breasts, and as Edward begins a chant of “tits, tits, tits,” Linda and a friend of hers exit the cinema as well. Edward tries to dance with the friend, who quickly exits. Linda, meanwhile, asks Mickey what he’s doing in town. Mickey, embarrassed, lies (while Edward almost blurts out the truth). Linda, however, reveals that she was at the same pornographic movie.

Edward continues his chant, eventually getting so excited that he jumps on top of a lamppost. A policeman enters, and the three adolescents use the same impertinent responses that they did as children. Linda distracts the policeman and the trio makes a run for it, with the policeman chasing after them.

The three teenagers spend the summer together, as the Narrator illustrates (in song) the innocent, idyllic months that pass. The three go to a shooting range and play monkey-in-the-middle, while the Narrator warns that one day Linda will pay a price for being in between the two brothers. The Narrator comments that the adolescents don’t care what’s to come at the end of the day, and we see them grow from fourteen to eighteen, enjoying time at the beach together and taking photographs. In the last shot, the Narrator takes a picture of all three of them together, singing that at their age, you don’t notice any of the bad things in life, because you’re “young, free, and innocent.”

Edward waits by a streetlight as Linda teases him. Edward asks where Mickey is, and she replies that he’s working overtime at a factory. Edward is miserable because he must go away to university the next day. He asks if he can write to Linda, but comments that Mickey might mind, since Linda is Mickey’s girlfriend. Linda says that she isn’t, because Mickey has never asked her out. Edward comments that if he were Mickey, he would have asked her years ago. He goes on to sing about the kind of relationship he would have with Linda, but finishes each chorus with, “I’m not saying a word.” He assures her that he doesn’t actually care for her, but implies that he is staying silent because of his loyalty to Mickey.

Mickey enters, disrupting the mood. He complains about his job at the factory, and Edward breaks the news that he’ll be at university until Christmas. Edward asks Mickey to ask out Linda, as a favor to him. At last, Mickey unromantically asks Linda if she will go out with him. Although the proposal itself is awkward, the two do share a passionate kiss. Edward excuses himself, and Mickey promises that he’ll put in lots of overtime at the factory so that the three of them can spend time together during Christmas. Linda says goodbye to Edward with a friendly kiss, before exiting with Mickey.

As Mickey prepares to go to work, Mrs. Johnstone enters with his lunch. The Narrator enters briefly, explaining that it is a cold day in October, and ominously adding that the bogey man is in town. Mrs. Johnstone urges Mickey to head to the factory so that he’s not late. A stunned Mickey reveals to Mrs. Johnstone that Linda is pregnant, and that he wants to marry her within the month. He asks if they can live with her for a while, and if she is angry at him. Mrs. Johnstone responds with warmth and affection, but apologizes for the limited life that Mickey has lived as her son. Mickey tells her that he’s had a great life with her. Then he hurries off, anxious to keep his job at the factory.

The scene quickly changes to Mickey and Linda’s wedding, although Mickey is still in his work clothes. As they celebrate, a Managing Director at Mickey’s factory enters with his secretary, Miss Jones. His song consists of a series of letters in which he mechanically and mercilessly fires his employees. As he sings, we see Mickey go from his wedding to his work, only to be fired upon his arrival. The Managing Director explains that deflation, an economic crash, the price of oil, and the difficult times have contributed to this round of layoffs. The wedding guests become an unemployment line, which Mickey joins. The song ends with the Managing Director firing the faithful Miss Jones. The men waiting in the line try to comfort Miss Jones, who takes Mickey’s place in line.

The men on the unemployment line narrate Mickey’s decline, calling him “old before his time” and noting how aimless and isolated he is. They call it just “another sign of the times.”

It is now Christmastime, and a happy Edward returns, looking for Mickey. He jokes and asks Mickey when they will begin drinking and celebrating, and tells Mickey about all the wonderful parties he’s attended and the people he’s met at university. He asks how Linda is, and tells Mickey that he wants to invite some of his university friends over. At last, Mickey calls Edward a “dick head,” and reveals to Edward that he is unemployed and depressed. He laments having lost his job, and describes the awful monotony of unemployment. Insensitively, Edward asks why Mickey needs a job when he can just get unemployment money. Mickey tells Edward that he doesn’t understand anything, and Edward tries to make amends by offering him money so that they can go out with Linda and celebrate. Mickey, however, tells his friend to “piss off.” When the confused Edward asks what happened to their blood brotherhood, Mickey calls their bond “kids’ stuff,” and claims that he has grown up, while Edward has not. He tells Edward to leave before he gets a beating.

The two separate, and Sammy approaches Mickey, while Linda greets Edward. Edward asks Linda why she hasn’t come to see him, and she replies that she didn’t want to disturb him while he was with his friends. He protests that he would give up all of his friends if it meant seeing Linda.

On the other side of the stage, Sammy tries to convince Mickey to be a lookout during a burglary, promising that although he will be carrying a gun, it will not be violent.

Convinced that he will never see her again, Edward confesses his love for Linda, and then apologizes.

Sammy tempts Mickey with the promise of fifty pounds, and Mickey agrees to go along with the plan.

Linda responds that she’s always loved Edward “in a way,” but when he proposes marriage to her, she reveals that she’s only just married Mickey, and that they are expecting a baby together. As Edward’s university friends call him from offstage, Linda says goodbye to him, and he exits.

Excited, Mickey tells Linda that he’s going to be out till eight o’clock, but that when he’s back, they’re going to celebrate the New Year by going out dancing together. He tells her to get dressed up, but refuses to tell her where the money will come from. As Sammy calls him from offstage, Mickey makes ready to leave, even as a suspicious Linda begs him not to go.

The Narrator refers to his usual list of bad omens, noting that Linda in particular is afraid of the price that Mickey will have to pay. Mickey keeps watch as Sammy argues with one of his partners over a gun. Abruptly, an alarm bell sounds and a shot is heard. Sammy tries to escape but Mickey is frozen, sobbing. The Narrator references the children’s game from long ago, where even if you got shot, you could get back up again. Mickey is in shock as Sammy tries to hide the gun under a floorboard. We hear Linda calling offstage, and just as she enters, two policemen arrive. They capture a fleeing Sammy, and remove Mickey from Linda’s embrace.

As the policemen place Mickey in a cell, Mrs. Johnstone sings about what happens next: the jury sentences Mickey to seven years in prison, and like Marilyn Monroe, he falls into a deep depression. A doctor enters, and prescribes Mickey antidepressants (also like Marilyn Monroe).

Linda visits Mickey and tells him that he’ll be released soon. She begs him to stop taking the antidepressants, but he refuses. They argue, and Mickey admits that he can’t function without the pills. The prison warder escorts Linda out.

Mrs. Johnstone continues to sing as Mickey comes home. She notes that her son feels fifteen years older, and that his speech comes slower than it used to. It is almost as if he is dead, just like Marilyn Monroe.

Linda enters holding shopping bags, and approaches Mrs. Johnstone. The two women discuss what to do about Mickey, who is still addicted to the pills, and whose drug-induced apathy is keeping him from getting a job. Linda says that she has found herself, Mickey, and their child (Sarah) a place of their own, and has even procured Mickey a job. She mentions that she has done so by seeking help from “someone I know,” adding that he is “on the housing committee.”

Mickey and Linda are together in their new house as Linda sets out Mickey’s work things. Mickey, however, is focused only on finding his antidepressants, which Linda has hidden. She protests that he doesn’t need the pills, but he becomes violently angry, telling her about the terrible symptoms of withdrawal. When she tries to tell him about how much better their new life is going to be, he accuses to her of going to Edward—now a city councilor—for help. She doesn’t deny it, but begs him not to take the pills, saying that she can’t even see him when he takes them. He retorts that he takes them in order to be invisible. Defeated, Linda gives her husband the pills, and he exits.

Utterly alone, Linda moves to the telephone. As she does, the Narrator recounts her internal struggle in song, describing the “girl inside the woman” who longs for the past. Making a decision, Linda calls Edward. As she does so, Mrs. Johnstone enters, singing that the two (Edward and Linda) don’t mean to be cruel, and that it’s “just a light romance.” She continues to narrate as Linda and Edward meet each other in a park, saying hello and staring at each other. At last, Edward pretends to shoot Linda, but “misses.” Abruptly the two kiss, as Mrs. Johnstone sings about their “light romance.”

Mrs. Johnstone continues singing, as we see Mickey deciding not to take his pills anymore, and Linda and Edward carry on their affair. Mrs. Johnstone reveals that the lovers will have to pay a price, and that they are following an old and well-worn pattern.

Out of nowhere, Mrs. Lyons enters. She shows Mickey Edward and Linda together, as Mrs. Johnstone ominously sings about “the price you’re gonna have to pay.” Enraged, Mickey pounds on his own door and calls for Linda. Then he races to his mother’s house to pick up the gun that Sammy hid under the floor. As he runs out, Mrs. Johnstone sees him, and begins calling after her son.

Mickey roams the streets looking for the couple, as Mrs. Johnstone chases him. The Narrator tells the audience that a man has “gone mad in the town tonight,” and that he’s looking to “shoot somebody down.” The devil, he says, has “got your number,” and has finally arrived. Mrs. Johnstone arrives at Linda’s house, warning her that Mickey has a gun. Terrified, Linda realizes that he must be looking for Edward at town hall. The Narrator reenters, telling Mrs. Johnstone that the devil is inside her, and that he’s calling her number today. Terrified, Mrs. Johnstone runs off.

The scene shifts to town hall, where Edward is giving a speech. Mickey abruptly appears, gripping his gun in shaking hands and screaming for everyone to “stay where you are.” Edward calmly greets Mickey, who reveals that he’s stopped taking his pills, and orders everyone else out of the hall. He continues speaking, saying that Linda was the one good thing he had left in his life, but that Mrs. Lyons has revealed the affair to him. Edward tries to deny it, but Mickey screams that Edward has betrayed him, reminding him that they used to be blood brothers. He even goes a step further, asking if Edward is the real father of his daughter. Edward says that he is not.

A policeman calls through a megaphone, telling Mickey to put down the gun, and that there are armed marksmen outside. Mickey remarks that he fails at everything, even at shooting Edward—he doesn’t even know if his gun is loaded. Suddenly Mrs. Johnstone enters the building, much to the dismay of the policemen. She begs Mickey not to shoot Edward, and reveals that the two are brothers, separated at birth. Mickey grows even more enraged, realizing that he could have had Edward’s luxurious life. He demands to know why he wasn’t given away. In his fury, he gestures at Edward with the gun, shooting and killing him. Immediately the policemen shoot and kill Mickey, as Linda runs down the aisle towards the two brothers.

The characters freeze as the Narrator emerges, asking if we should blame superstition for the deadly chain of events, or if we should blame the English class system. He again reminds us of the story of the Johnstone twins, separated at birth, who died on the same day. Mrs. Johnstone begs to be told that her sons’ deaths are just a story, that it’s “just a dream,” or a scene from a movie with “Marilyn Monroe.” She wonders if this has just been a clown show with two players who couldn’t say their lines right, or a radio show that can be started over. She asks to be told that this is “just a game.” As she laments, the other actors join in with her, asking the audience to tell them that this has all been pretend, just like “an old movie with Marilyn Monroe.”