International smash hit musical Blood Brothers is coming to Oxford Playhouse this September, telling the tragic tale of twins separated at birth, who grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again.
Performed all over the world, with 10,000 performances in the West End alone, now it’s Oxford’s turn with Niki Colwell Evans playing the iconic role of Mrs Johnstone – a ‘role of a lifetime’ for the actress who has been a part of the production since 2019.
“It’s a big part and it’s a big part for a woman, which is rare at my age,” she says. “But every mother in this country can relate to Mrs Johnstone on some level because of how real she is.
“I come from a family of four and we grew up on a council estate without any money”
“I’ve got two sons, so her Micky and Eddie are my Morgan and Jonah. My kids have had troubles, I’ve had troubles, and the way I look at it is: I don’t have to play her, I just have to be her.”
Willy Russell’s famous story revolves around Mrs Johnstone, who when deserted by her husband and left to provide for seven hungry children allows her twins to be separated at birth with devastating consequences.
A massively emotional part then? “There are parts where it rips me to shreds. I do it as though someone is about to take one of my children and I can’t hold back. I have to feel it every time I do it,” Niki explains.
“it’s a big part for a woman, which is rare at my age”
“So when I’m out there on stage I have to forget there’s an audience watching because it’s terrifying.”
“But I come from a family of four and we grew up on a council estate without any money, and my mum was a tough cookie and that’s how I thought Mrs Johnstone – ‘Don’t mess with my kids or I’ll come at you with a baseball bat’,” she says when explaining her inspiration for the role.
And yet when producer Bill Kenwright called her about the part she turned it down four times. “He saw something in me and within a week I was on stage in the Phoenix Theatre. It was such a whirlwind,” she remembers.
“I’d never done a musical or been a part of the theatre world so it was scary at first. I had to be ready, and now I am.”
‘I DON’T HAVE TO PLAY HER, I JUST HAVE TO BE HER”
Niki first rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the semi-final of series 4 of The X Factor UK mentored by Louis Walsh. After her debut solo single ‘Love Me No More’ in 2008, she went on to play the iconic role Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers and hasn’t looked back since.
“Singing was always my passion as soon as I could open my mouth. It’s like breathing to me, it’s so natural for me to do, but the actual performing scares the pants off me,” she chuckles. “But it’s given me a career I didn’t think I was capable of.”
Niki Colwell Evans, Sean Jones, and Gemma Brodrick star in Blood Brothers at Oxford Playhouse from Tue 12 – Sat 16 September. BOOK HERE
