After 12 years away from the show, Niki Evans admits it’s like 'coming home' getting to play Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers once again.
Niki, who made it to the semi finals o f The X Factor back in 2017, is a huge favourite with fans of the long running and spine-tinglingly good Willie Russell musical, but opening night at the Empire will be the first time she’s actually played the famous role in Sunderland.
And Blood Brothers’ arrival on Wearside comes after a very tough few weeks for everyone in the UK, following the death of the Queen.
As a huge fan of Her Majesty, Niki said she found it really tough to get through the performance on Thursday, September 8, the evening Queen Elizabeth’s passing was announced to the nation.
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But now she’s ready to wow Sunderland in stole which she told ChronicleLive, actually requires little acting. Niki explained: “I play Mrs J as if I am the boys’ mother. I grew up on a council estate, so I’ve lived that life. When I set foot on stage I become Mrs Johnstone and she can becomes.
“By the time it comes to Tell Me It’s Not True at the end, I’m usually so emotional that i fall to bits. It’s like Mickey and Eddie are my sons. Every show is a rollercoaster.”
Niki said that the opportunity to come back to Blood Brothers and the character she has such a strong connection to came “at the right time” for her, saying: “They has asked a few times but I’d always been busy with other things but this time, I was able to go back. Originally, I played Mrs J for a few years and this time I had about two or three days rehearsals. By the second day it was like I’d never been anyway…once it’s in, it’s in!”
With memorable songs like Marilyn Monroe, The Shoes are on the Table and of course Tell Me It’s Not True, Blood Brothers has earned its reputation as a great of British theatre and Niki feels that’s because of a lot more than just it’s music.
She continued: “Blood Brothers is so raw and so real, it’s about as real as it gets when it comes to a musical. The strength of the show is the way it tells the story; it doesn’t need the big showstoppers.
“There’s one couple who’ve been 200 times and then there’s a Blood Brothers fan club. It’s a show for all ages.”
*Blood Brothers runs at the Sunderland Empire until Saturday, September 24
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