Blood Brothers Play Guide for AQA GCSE Drama

When Mrs Lyons learns that Mrs Johnstone is expecting twins, she asks Mrs Johnstone to give one of the babies to her. Mrs Lyons attacks Mrs Johnstone because she believes she is following her and spoiling her relationship with Edward. Mrs Lyons sees Edward and Linda together and tells Mickey. Mickey and Edward die at the moment they learn that they are twins. When Mrs Johnstone learns that they are being moved to a new area, she declares it a ‘bright new day’. Linda and Mickey take a walk in a field, but Linda storms off when Mickey doesn’t respond to her flirting. Shortly after Linda and Mickey marry, he is made redundant. Edward arrives at the Johnstone house to say goodbye and Mrs Johnstone gives him a locket with a photograph of Mickey in it. Sammy offers Mickey money to assist with a robbery, which results in Mickey going to prison. Mrs Johnstone sings about her past, explaining that by the age of 25 she had seven children and was expecting another. The Narrator invites the audience to ‘judge’ Mrs Johnstone, the working- class mother of the twins. When seven-year-old Mickey meets Edward, they strike up an immediate friendship, becoming ‘blood brothers’. TEST YOURSELF B2 1 In which act do Linda and Mickey marry? 2 How much time passes between the first act of the play and the second? 3 How does Mrs Lyons convince Mrs Johnstone to give her one of the twins? 4 Who tells Mickey about Linda and Edward? 5 In which act do Mickey and Edward meet? Task B3 In your opinion, when is the play’s climax ? Write three sentences to explain your choice. KEY TERM Climax: The moment of highest tension in a play, usually of great importance, and often the culmination of earlier events. COMPONENT 1 UNDERSTANDING DRAMA 26 When did it happen? Task B2 Below are 12 key plot points from Blood Brothers . Put them in the order in which they occur in the play, numbering them 1 to 12.