BLOOD BROTHERS Actor Steps In Mid-Show To Perform With No Rehearsal

Actor Shaun McCourt recently stepped in to cover the role of Mickey on the UK tour of Blood Brothers at no notice and with no rehearsal, after the understudy became ill. According to The Stage, the show's matinee at Derby Theatre was brought to a halt 35 minutes into the show, after Connor Bannister, who was playing Mickey at that performance, left the stage. Shaun McCourt, who understudies Eddie on the tour, was then asked to cover the performance with a script in hand. His performance garnered him a standing ovation.

McCourt recounted the performance's events, stating "I was already in the wings and noticed that nobody was speaking on stage. Connor is a really good friend of mine so I went to check he was okay. I didn't think for one moment that I was suddenly going to be on as Mickey. It was a split-second decision - the audience had been waiting for about 10 minutes and we needed to decide if the show as going to be cancelled or if I was going to go on, having never covered or learned any of Mickey's lines. The cast was incredible. They were so incredibly supportive back stage and helped me through the show - they were just great and understanding of what was happening"

According to the show's musical director, Matt Malone, "Shaun is an absolutely amazing person, and one of the reasons he was able to do this was that he's always helping other people with rehearsals and line runs. He's the sort of example the West End needs."

Blood Brothers tells the moving story of twin boys separated at birth, only to be reunited by a twist of fate and a mother's haunting secret. The memorable score includes A Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It's Not True. 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 inexorably to the show's shattering climax.