ALTHOUGH best known as the long-running musical of the same name, Blood Brothers the play delivers the same hard-hitting and heartbreaking tale of twin brothers seperated at birth.

Blackburn Drama Club is staging the play at Thwaites Empire Theatre from tomorrow until Saturday, 7.30pm.

The Willy Russell story, which begins among the poverty of 1960s Liverpool, sees a struggling mum discover she is preganant - again, with twins, who she fears she cannot afford to bring up.

Cleaner Mrs Johnstone makes a pact with her employer Mrs Lyons, who offers to take on one of the boys, as she is unable to have children of her own.

Handing over Eddie, Mrs Johnstone swears to keep the secret – for supersticous fear – after Mrs Lyons tells her that “if twins separated at birth learn that they were once one of a pair they will both immediately die”.

Over the years, each mother struggles with the truth – especially when the two boys repeatedly meet by chance.

Taking on the challenge of playing the Johnstone twins from childhood to their tragic adulthood, are Dylan Allcock and Patrick Walsh as Eddie and Mickey, with Claire St Pierre playign their mum and Heidi Needham as Mrs Lyons.

A club spokesman said: “The brothers who are separated at birth reunite and become friends in their childhood, unaware of their relation to each other or of the consequences their relationship will bring about.”

To book tickets, costing £9, call the box office on 01254 685500.