BLOOD BROTHERS- RESEARCH: Willy Russell Research

 

Born 23rd of August (1946)

William Russell is a well-known dramatist, composer, lyricist, raised in Liverpool. He's written lots of famous plays, including: Blood Brothers, Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, Our Day Out. 

Russell was born in Whiston, Lancashire (which is now Meryside). He suprisingly began his career in the hairdressing profession, at aged 15. He ran his own ladies hair salon until the age of 20, when then he decides to go back to study at college. 

Written in 1971, Willy wrote his first play, "Keep your eyes down." He next wrote, "John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert," a musical based on the "Beatles". This went on to be shown in The West End and was winning multiple awards, including the Evening Standard and London Theatre Critics awards for the best musical of 1974. It premiered at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and then transferred to the Lyric Theatre in the West End in 1974. 

He then went on to write many many more well-known plays, some of them being:  "Stags and Hens", "One for the road", "Blood Brothers". As well as theatre, Russell written for some on-screen projects too- "Our day out", "One summer", "Death of a young man", "Daughters of Albion."

Another project of his which transferred to the West End was "Educating Rita" in 1980. This was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare company and ran for top to two years, winning plenty of global awards. Returning to the Liverpool Everyman in 1986, Russell wrote Shirley Valentine which went on to an acclaimed West End run.The play transferred to New York for a highly successful Broadway run in February 1989 to November 1989, and a Tony Award as Best Actress for Collins. Both "Educating Rita" and "Shirley Valentine" were made into feature films and some incredible actors were cast to play lead roles, including Julie Walters and Micheal Caine. They went on for Oscar nominations, as well as Willy Russel for his incredible Educating Rita screenplay. 

Another worldwide theatrical success that was written by Russell is in fact "Blood Brothers"- It won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1983. Its 1988 revival had over 10,000 consecutive performances during its 24-year West End run which ended in November 2012. Simultaneously, there were UK touring and international productions, including a two-year run on Broadway starting in 1993. The Broadway production was nominated for the 1993 Tony Award, Best Musical.

Willy Russell went on to write a song that appeared to reach 22 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was named "The Show" and sung by Rebecca Storm. 

Russell doesn't stop there, he creates his first novel in the year 2000; its called "The wrong boy". In 2004, Russell returned to his original singer/songwriter roots, releasing his album, Hoovering the Moon on Pure Records. 

"Our day out" was originally written by Willy as a play, but he went on to turn it into a musical, plenty of rewrites later and collaborations with Bob Eaton. This musical was produced in 2010 at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. 

All of Willy Russell's work:

• Keep Your Eyes Down (play 168881)
• Sam O'Shanker (play 1972, musical 1973)
• John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert (musical 1974)
• Death of a Young Man (play 1974)
• Breezeblock Park (play 1975)
• our day out (made-for-TV film 1976, musical stage version, 2010)
• our day out (play 1977, later adapted for musical)
• Blind Scouse
• One for the road (play 1976)
• I Read the News Today (BBC Schools Radio Play, 1976)
• Stags and Hens (1978 play, filmed in 1990 as Dancing' through the dark)
• Educating Rita (play 1980, film 1983)
• The Boy with the Transistor Radio (1980)
• One Summer (TV series 1983)
• Blood Brothers (musical 1983)
• Connie (TV series, co-wrote theme tune "The Show" 1985)
• Shirley Valentine (play 1986, film 1989)
• Terraces (BBC TV film 1993)
• The Wrong Boy (first novel, 2000)
• Hoovering the Moon (music album, 2003)
• Our Day out- the musical (2009/10)

Awards

• 1980:  Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy – Educating Rita
• 1983: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical – Blood Brothers
• 1988: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy – Shirley Valentine
• 1990: Evening Standard Award British Film Award for Best Screenplay – Shirley Valentine

Nominations

• 1984: Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay – Educating Rita
• 1984: Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Motion Picture Screenplay – Educating Rita
• 1984: BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay – Educating Rita
• 1989 Tony Award for Best Play – Shirley Valentine
• 1990: BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay – Shirley Valentine
• 1993: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical – Blood Brothers

Willy was brought up in a working class family in Liverpool. His father was an alcoholic and worked a variety of hard-scrabble jobs; on a production line in a factory, then down the mines. His parents were unhappily married all their lives. They were, he says, "complete opposites."

In 1969, Russell married Annie Seagroatt; the couple have one son, Rob, and two daughters, Rachel and Ruth. 

One of the main reasons I love Willy Russell's work is because he has written what he has first hand experienced. Knowing exactly what it's like to live in a working class family, especially in Liverpool in the 50's/60's. He has written from his heart, what he can relate to. Even when he began getting a lot of recognition for his work and his projects were appearing in Broadway, he still stayed very humble and didn't change his writing. He knows his roots; still carried on writing for Liverpool working class and more places in the UK. For me, that really shows his character and says how down to Earth he is and this really comes across in his meaningful play writes and on-screen productions.