The Historical Context of Willy Russell's 'Blood Brothers'

In this lecture, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) thinks about the historical context for the play, focusing in particular on: (i) the initial production of the play; (ii) its key themes; (iii) the importance of the play's setting in 1980s Liverpool; (iv) the play's success and its 'relevance' today; (v) the centrality of the family in tragic drama; (v) the economy of Russell's writing; (vi) the figure of the narrator and his relation to the Greek tragic chorus; (vii) the concepts of realism and 'the fourth wall'; and (viii) the extent to which a play's impact is driven by three key concepts: relatability, empathy, and sympathy. This lecture is part of a larger course on 'Blood Brothers'. The full course can be found here: https://massolit.io/courses/russell-b... MASSOLIT works with university academics to produce short video lectures in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It is available to schools and colleges on an institutional license as well as via private subscription: https://www.massolit.io/?source=yt