OCR GCSE Drama

26 Genre Blood Brothers has elements of several different genres. As it features songs and music, it is an example of musical theatre, but it also contains many comic elements (misunderstandings, funny dialogue, exaggerated characters) and tragic aspects (a sense of foreboding , violence, the death of protagonists ). Additionally, it has some features associated with political drama, including a social message (the unequal treatment of different social classes) and use of direct address to the audience by the Narrator to emphasise this message. A Read the first meeting between Edward and Mickey (pages 27–30). With a partner, experiment with how this could be performed to emphasise the comedy of the scene. Consider: • The differences between the boys, including their costumes • How they might interact with each other • How they might use gestures and movement • How they might use vocal skills such as accent, volume, diction and pace. B Look closely at the argument between the older Edward and Mickey (pages 90–93). Explore how this could be performed to emphasise the conflict between the characters. Consider: • What has happened to Edward and Mickey before this scene • How costumes can highlight the differences between them • How they might interact with each other • How they might use vocal skills, such as accent, volume, diction and pace. C Choose one of these two scenes and write a paragraph, or create a series of images for a storyboard, to explain how it could be performed and staged. Look especially to highlight the importance of these features in establishing the relationship between the characters and the mood of the scene. Structure Blood Brothers is divided into two acts. The first covers roughly seven years (from Mrs Johnstone’s pregnancy to the boys at the age of seven), and the second act spans approximately ten years (from the boys at 14 to their deaths in their 20s). The structure of the play can be described as book- ended because the Narrator and Mrs Johnstone start and end the play. The Narrator’s speech of rhyming lines spoken at the play’s opening is completed in the play’s final moments. Style Due to the use of narration, verse, songs and multi-rolling (such as the same actor playing the Milkman and the Gynaecologist), the style of the play is sometimes considered non-naturalistic. However, other scenes, such as those between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone, Linda and Mickey or Mickey and Edward are usually performed naturalistically. TASK 3.2 Foreboding: A feeling that something bad will happen. Associated with foreshadowing: a warning or hint of something that is going to happen. Protagonist: The main character of a narrative. Direct address: Speaking directly to the audience. KEY TERmS: Jordan Phelps, as the Narrator, surveys the ominous scene of the street outside Mrs Johnstone’s house, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, Chicago. 3 THE SET TEXTS