Bill Kenwright musical Blood Brothers will return to Blackpool Opera House starring this X-Factor finalist

Niki Evans will return as iconic Mrs Johnstone in the multi-award winning production after first joining the show in London’s West End and received standing ovations for her powerful and poignant ballads.

The international smash hit will be in Blackpool from October 11-15 and and will also star Sean Jones who reprises his role as Mickey Johnstone in his final tour of the show.

Also joining the cast for 2022 are Carly Burns as Linda, Melissa Potts as Brenda and Jacob Yolland as the Bus Conductor.

Completing the company are Joel Benedict (Eddie), Josh Capper (Neighbour), Paula Tappenden (Mrs Lyons), Tim Churchill (Mr Lyons), Grace Galloway (Donna Marie/Miss

Jones), Andy Owens (Perkins), Robbie Scotcher (Narrator), Paula Tappenden (Mrs Lyons), Daniel Taylor (Sammy) and Nick Wilkes (Teacher/Policeman).

Written by award-winning playwright Willy Russell, few musicals have been received with such acclaim as the multi-award-winning Blood Brothers.

Bill Kenwright’s production surpassed 10,000 performances in London’s West End, one of only three musicals ever to achieve that milestone.

This epic tale of Liverpool life started as a play, performed at a Liverpool comprehensive school in 1981, before opening at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1983.

The musical has since triumphed across the globe, completing sell out seasons in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan, and scooping up four awards for Best Musical in London and seven Tony Award nominations on Broadway.

The superb score includes A Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True.

Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins separated at birth, who grow up on the opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with tragic consequences.

When Mrs Johnstone, a young mother, is deserted by her husband and left to her own devices to provide for seven hungry children she takes a job as a housekeeper in order to

make ends meet.

It is not long before her brittle world crashes around her when she discovers herself to be pregnant yet again - this time with twins!

In a moment of weakness and desperation, she enters a secret pact with her employer which leads to the show’s dramatic climax.