Musical theatre fans across the UK will be delighted to discover that the hugely popular musical Blood Brothers is extending its London performances well into 2012, with tickets now on sale until November of next year. Currently showing at the Phoenix Theatre London in the heart of Theatreland, Blood Brothers boasts the title of being one of the city’s longest-running musicals ever, with its West End debut having taken place at the Lyric Theatre in 1983 before transferring to the Phoenix in 1988. The musical has enjoyed an uninterrupted run at the theatre ever since, meaning that the extension into 2012 heralds an impressive 24th year of unbroken performances on the London stage and further cements Blood Brothers’ cult status amongst London musicals.

Blood Brothers tells the story of two brothers who are ripped apart at birth by fate and greed, and who grow up on very different sides of fortune. Micky lives an impoverished life with his birth mother, whereas Eddie grows up under the care of his mother’s wealthy employer and is afforded all of life’s luxuries. However, a series of chance meetings brings the two crashing back into each other’s lives, and the tangled friendships and relationships at the show’s surface slowly descend into tragedy. An emotionally gripping study of the social spectrum, Blood Brothers is still as moving and relevant today as it was at its opening in 1988, so the news that it will be reprising its position at the Phoenix for at least another year is sure to be a relief for staunch fans of the show.

The musical has seen a parade of esteemed musical theatre performers and celebrities take up the lead roles across the years, with actors as diverse as ex-Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm, recent Eurovision hopeful Antony Costa and the current Mrs. Johnstone, ex-Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton, all treading the boards in the last few years. The creation of London theatre legend Willy Russell, Blood Brothers has won a string of awards in the years since its opening including an Olivier award for Best New Musical in 1983, and has charmed critics and theatregoers alike, with Evening Standard critic Fiona Mountfort commenting that ‘the show rings out as a rich, detailed and desperately moving piece of work’.

Now that the musical has announced its intention to carry on performing at the Phoenix Theatre for an extra 12 months beyond its previous final date of 26th November 2011, audiences both new and old have another chance to buy Blood Brothers tickets and catch this phenomenally long-running show in its London home. If its success continues at the same pace, we may even expect the production to make it to its quarter-century anniversary in 2013!