BILL Kenwright’s production of the international smash hit musical Blood Brothers will come to Darlington Hippodrome in February as part of the 30th anniversary tour.

Written by award-winning playwright Willy Russell, the show has won four awards for best musical in London and seven Tony Award nominations on Broadway.

Actress and singer Lyn Paul returns to play Mrs Johnstone following her first performance in 1997. It is a role she has played on many UK tours and she also starred as Mrs Johnstone in the final West End performances at the Phoenix Theatre in 2012.

Her rise to fame was in the early 1970s as a member of the New Seekers. She was the featured vocalist on their 1972 Eurovision Song Contest entry, Beg, Steal or Borrow, in which they came second, and lead vocalist on the 1974 number-one hit, You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me.

She starred in the UK tour of Cabaret in 2013 as Fraulein Schneider, in Boy George’s musical Taboo and in Footloose – the Musical.

This tale of Liverpool life started as a play, performed at a Liverpool comprehensive school in 1981 before opening at Liverpool Playhouse in 1983, completing sell-out seasons in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan.

The Kenwright production opened in 1987. The show ran in the West End for 24 years, exceeding 10,000 performances, one of only three musicals ever to achieve that milestone.

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. Memorable songs include A Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True.

Dates at Darlington Hippodrome are Tuesday to Saturday, February 20-24. For tickets, call 01325 405405 or visit darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk.