Sean Jones and Drew Ashton have the enviable task of playing the Blood Brothers in the hit show. They told Katy Lewis about their life as twins, corpsing on stage and how they are always humbled by the audience reaction.

The parts of Mickey and Eddie in Blood Brothers are two of the most sought after in the theatrical world. And at the moment the lucky recipients in its national tour are Sean Jones and Drew Ashton.

But being brothers in this show is not just a three hour a day job, it's a way of life! I caught up with them backstage at the Milton Keynes Theatre to find out what it was like. Was it brotherly love or was blood shed?

This epic tale of Liverpool life that has captivated audiences for over 15 years tells the story of a mother's haunting secret and her twin boys, separated at birth, but reunited by a twist of fate.

Privileged
Mickey is kept by his natural mother and brought up in poor suuroundings, while Eddie is given away to Mrs Lyons and has a privileged upbringing with all that money can buy.

Drew Ashton plays Eddie

The actor who plays Eddie has a difficult task. As the ‘posh one’ there is a great danger that the character could become caricatured or obnoxious in unskilled hands, but Drew Ashton manages the task brilliantly.

A combination of vulnerability, common sense and wide-eyed curiosity makes his Eddie a joy to watch. So what’s the secret?

"Well you’re right about obnoxious" he reveals. "He can just seem a little bit pompous if you over play it."

"I think you are always striking a balance, playing a child but not being too childlike or childish and patronising the audience, and still having that kind of fresh energy, excitement and curiosity with him all the time."

"It’s very different from playing Mickey - they are so different even though they’re two halves of the same coin so to speak."

Rapport
But Drew, who also played Eddie in the West End some four years ago now, also reveals that part of the secret of being a successful Eddie is how you work with Mickey, both on and off stage.

"Both times I’ve come into the role with an established Mickey and that’s made all the difference" he says, "because I think he [Mickey] does drive a lot of the action."

"But there also has to become a point at which you’ve got to put yourself forward and be an equal because I think it’s important not to be the follower all the time. Eddie does have his own set character."

"For me personally, and I’m sure it’s much the same for Sean, and most people who play the two characters, it’s almost essential that you have a rapport."

Sean Jones, who plays Mickey, agrees with the importance of getting on well together.

For me personally, and I’m sure it’s much the same for Sean, and most people who play the two characters, it’s almost essential that you have a rapport.

Drew Ashton

"There was a rapport almost straight away with us" he reveals, "and that’s really lucky because there could be a personality clash. But that very rarely happens in Blood Brothers though."

"Yes" agrees Drew. "Being one of the two brothers is a really unique relationship and it’s quite a loss when you leave the production."

Bond
It would seem that the bond between their characters in the show is reflected in their off stage relationship, but as Sean explains, the whole company is like a family, especially when they are on tour.

"You all have to get digs together and your daytimes are free so we might meet up and go to the cinema. But there is an amazing closeness - although we may discuss this differently in seven or eight weeks time!!"

"But I think that people are also quite good at giving everybody space at times" adds Drew, as he recalls the last stop on the tour when he and Sean had to share a very small dressing room with Keith who plays the Narrator.

"Sean had been mithering all week about the number of visitors there were to the dressing room" he says. "On the last day Keith and I bundled about ten people into the dressing room while [he] was having his mandatory shower!"

"I fell for it as well" laughs Sean. "I said ‘come on this is getting ridiculous’ when I suddenly realised I’d been had!"

Funny
But it seems that the worst thing about that particular dressing room was the colour, as Drew explains.

"It was orange, I mean can you imagine" he says. "I think it was an end of paint run or something. The corridor outside was lilac."

There was a rapport almost straight away with us and that’s really lucky because there could be a personality clash. But that very rarely happens in Blood Brothers.

Sean Jones

It turns out that Drew does a bit of interior design consulting when he’s not acting. "Yes" says Sean. "He should be Drew Ashley not Ashton!"

When I spoke to them, the two had only been brothers together for three weeks but the bond that had already developed between them was obvious to see as they batted comments back and forth and bounced off each other brilliantly.

They are very funny together, but is there any danger that they will make each other laugh on stage?

"Yes, there’s every danger actually" laughs Sean. "It’s one of those things on stage when you’ve got to play off somebody and so much relies on that energy batting backwards and forwards. It can so easily just go too far.

"It would not be remotely noticeable to the audience but something goes across the eyes and I just have to not to look at him until I’ve regained myself."

"I’m the world’s worst corpser" adds Drew, "but I’ve discovered there’s someone even worse than me."

"But it’s wonderful when you’ve got trust between two people" he continues and assures me that this absolutely would not happen at an inappropriate moment.

"In the key moments, you’re not in that place, so you’re not there in your mind. It would ruin it anyway" he says.

Unexpected
But he also said that there had already been some wonderful and unexpected moments.

"Other members of the cast have arrived on stage during scenes when they shouldn’t have done" he says, before revealing that in one instance, somebody went on stage dressed in his mac, and complete with cinema seating, in the scene where Eddie’s adoptive mother Mrs Lyons is going mad.

I have the same nervousness about certain points of the show that I’ve always had but I never get bored of it because there’s always a different level you can find.

Drew Ashton

"She was obviously seeing people, or seeing seating at least" laughs Drew. "But the actor concerned didn’t realise what he had done at first. When he did, he said ‘I just stayed as still as I could in the hope that the audience wouldn’t notice me!"

They are both obviously enjoying themselves, but with Drew having been in about 450 performances and Sean about 1000, it has to be asked if they ever get bored.

"No" says Drew without hesitation. "I have the same nervousness about certain points of the show that I’ve always had but I never get bored of it because there’s always a different level you can find and the audience create something different too."

"And at the moment I’m coming back to it from a very long break and I’ve got a chance to re-work things from before - just tiny little changes. Having had time away I’ve thought about them."

"We talk about stuff that we can improve on together but it’s usually Sean that needs to improve" he jokes.

"It’s a great piece. It’s really great to play the character but there has to come a point in your life where you say I won’t play it anymore."

"I think I’m getting to that point now that I’ve done three weeks" he laughs. "I mean I’m loving it but the body’s finding it exhausting!"

And do they ever go blank?

"Yeah, I’ve done it" admits Sean. "That’s where you have to go and be really hard on yourself. You just can’t afford to do that and if you dry it’s not because you don’t know the lines it’s because you’re not concentrating."

Unique
Blood Brothers is quite unique in that it routinely gets a standing ovation. In fact, somebody at the Milton Keynes Theatre described it as looking as though they were running volts through the seats!

Sean revealed that there was a special technique involved but frustratingly, he wasn’t allowed to say what it was! He did shed some light on the secret though:

It’s very humbling .... because you’ve done your job and people have had a great time and that makes you feel great.

Drew Ashton

"You’ll notice that there are no claps at the end of any songs" he reveals. "We don’t rest on our laurels at any point during the show."

This is true. Blood Brothers is not really what you would call a musical although it is dubbed as such. The music and dialogue meld seamlessly into one complete piece of action and you do not feel like clapping after the songs because you swiftly move onto the next twist in the story.

But the audience rising to their feet must also be due in part to the shattering finale, and a release of emotion. Sean explains:

"You could put up the last ten minutes of Blood Brothers against any other musical and possibly any other play for pure theatrical event. It’s amazing. They [the audience] are so with it you can feel it, you could hear a pin drop."

Drew agrees: Yes, it’s terribly moving for us on stage" he says. "It’s not just a cynical tactic to get people to be upset or anything. It’s quite emotional on the stage."

Ovation
But as Sean says, a standing ovation is not something you should expect: "It’s not something you can take for granted, it’s really humbling."

And humbled seems to be what both of them feel at the end of the show after the reaction that they get. I suggest that they must also feel quite a lot of power, in being able to draw such emotion from people.

"It’s very humbling more than powerful I think" says Drew. "Because you’ve done your job and people have had a great time and that makes you feel great."

"The audience might think that they are marking their appreciation but I think it’s more about the audience expressing how they are feeling" he continues.

"It’s their time to share with you that you’ve touched them in some way and that’s humbling because it’s not a reward for you."

"And if it’s a reward they want to give us then we should have a tip box" jokes Sean.

"Yes - or more chocolates and flowers" retorts Drew.

"Am I not leaving enough!" comes back Sean quick as a flash.

We know quite a few fans of the show by name now, and you feel they deserve your time after sticking with the show. Because it’s the show that’s the star.

Sean Jones

But although they are joking, both agree that it’s the audience that really make the show, and they also appreciate those Blood Brothers fans who keep coming back.

"We get to know people" explains Sean. "We know quite a few fans of the show by name now, and you feel they deserve your time after sticking with the show. Because it’s the show that’s the star."

"Yes" agrees Drew - it’s bigger than any one of us."

"Linda Nolan is definitely a star but you don’t need to advertise anyone on the poster" continues Sean. "It will go on even after Bill Kenwright decides to hang up Mickey’s shorts. It will still have a life."

And as a newly converted fan, I certainly hope so!

Read our interview with Sean Jones >>

lotty, buckinghamshire	Sunday, 12-Jun-2005 13:24:40 BST
i have seen the show many times now and i have to say that Sean Jones's performance was the most realistic and touching i have ever whitnessed.the connection between mickey and eddie was really strong and the audience could see it. i look forward to seeing Sean and Drew perform again.

Hollie White, Sunderland	Saturday, 27-Mar-2004 15:52:45 GMT
I have always been a fan of Blood Brothers but when I began work at Sunderland Empire theatre I not only looked forward to watching the show every night but also looked forward to witnessing Sean Jones' amazing talent. I never got to meet him so never knew much about him. Your article gave me an insight. I think both him and the show should get more media coverage.

Caroline, Lancashire	Thursday, 12-Feb-2004 18:15:00 GMT
I really enjoyed reading this article. I'm going to see BB again in Bradford. I've seen it loads now. I'd do anything to be in it and I think that all the cast are doing excellent. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Grantham gets hooked!