"You either think Willy Russell is a genius who understands the misunderstood soul of ordinaryville," wrote one commentator.

"or a patronising charlatan who uses bland characters to illustrate some pretty simplistic social comment. Most appear to go for the first option."

Indeed, Blood Brothers, the epic tale of two brothers divided at birth only to be reunited by a twist of fate and a mother's haunting secret, is one of the great phenomenons of modern musical theatre.

Having opened at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1983, it has been running in London's West End for 17 years and touring the UK for ten.

And there's no sign of it tiring, either - most people will have witnessed the tragic ending by now yet it is, critics agree, the kind of show to which you can keep on returning.

Having starred in the West End production for two years before heading out on tour, Linda Nolan (of The Nolan Sisters fame) has certainly had the opportunity to experience its unbreakable hold on the popular imagination.

She plays Mrs Johnstone, the young mother forced to separate her sons because she cannot afford to feed them both.

"She has no money but would sell her soul to the devil for her children,"

explains Nolan. "When she falls pregnant with twins, she doesn't know how she's going to cope.

"Her husband leaves her and the Welfare are going to take the babies so she strikes up a deal with the lady she works for, who's very rich. They separate the twins but then her employer sacks her so she can never see the baby again."

Taking Mickey (Stephen Palfreman) and Eddie (Drew Ashton) from playful seven-year-olds to serious, brooding men, Blood Brothers features hits such as A Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and Tell Me It's Not True, not to mention the saddest ending in musical history.

"There are some great songs to sing and I get to play a whole rollercoaster of emotions," says Nolan.

"The first half is really funny, then halfway through the second half you wonder if it's the same show."

Start Mon - Oct 15, 8pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm, Tickets £1.50-£28, Call 01293 553636