Blood Brothers

class divide

Willy Russell

Liverpudlian playwright who grew up in a working class family.

musical

the genre of the play

fraternal twins

twins who come from two different eggs fertilized by two different sperm; usually non-identical

Margaret Thatcher

Conservative prime minister of GB from 1979 to 1990 who reduced the powers of the workers' unions and privatised many publicly owned companies

Liverpool

setting of the play; place of the highest unemployment levels during this time

Jobseeker's Allowance

a state benefit paid to unemployed people who meet certain conditions; slang term is 'on the dole'

class system

a social ranking based on economic position

council housing

homes provided by the state to those who cannot afford their own

new towns

new council accommodation in the countryside built to reduce the number of people living in council housing in the city, e.g. Skelmersdale

grammar school

a state secondary school to which pupils are admitted on the basis of ability

secondary modern school

a school of a kind offering a general education to children not selected for grammar school (the type of school that Mickey attends)

11 plus test

examination used to determine a child's entry into grammar school

Roman Catholic church

denomination of Christianity established in 1054 that opposes divorce, abortion, sex outside of marriage and contraception

The Beatles

a band from Liverpool with a huge influence in the 1960s

Marilyn Monroe

female icon of the 1950s and 60s who could sing, dance and act; an object of male desire. Presented by the media as having the 'perfect' lifestyle, but in reality suffered from depression that eventually led to an overdose

Mersey Beat

pop music originating in the mid 1960s around Liverpool

Liverpudlian

a person from Liverpool

pop culture

contemporary music, TV and film that flourished as a result of young people gradually having more money.
Even the poorest in society would have had the chance to go to the cinema or to a club for dancing

poverty

inability to meet basic needs for food, clothing and shelter

working class

the social group consisting of people who are employed for wages, especially in manual or industrial work

middle class

the social group between the upper and working classes, including professional and business people and their families

superstition

a widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially as leading to good or bad luck, or a practice based on such a belief

teenagers

emerged in the 1950s as a new group of people characterised by their own interests and behaviour

recession

a period of reduced economic activity

Mickey

the twin who lives with Mrs Johnstone

Edward

the twin who lives with Mrs Lyons

Mrs Johnstone

a warm and caring mother, despite the struggles she faces supporting her eight children alone; superstitious

Mrs Lyons

a very lonely woman who is the opposite of her employee; unable to have children so makes an agreement to 'adopt' Edward

Sammy

the twins' older brother who is often getting into mischief; a bad role model who turns into a criminal

Linda

the twins' friend and later Mickey's girlfriend

Narrator

the character who appears frequently to tell the story in the play; repeats the same song/choruses

Adolf Hitler

the name Edward gives to the policeman

councillor

Edward's job as an adult

boarding school

a private school where students live during term time (the type of school Edward attends)

foreshadowing

a warning or indication of a future event within a narrative

the dole

colloquial term for being on state benefits

welfare

colloquial term used in the play to refer to the government aid to the less fortunate members of society

gynaecologist

women's doctor

prologue

the introduction to the play in which the twins' fate is revealed

fate

a power that is believed to control what happens in the future

Donna Marie

the twins' older sister who follows in her mother's footsteps