Brothers
by Kerry Drumm
Estranged brothers, Jay and Matt, come together as one of them battles cancer, the other addiction. Fearful of their own survival, the brothers revisit their childhood and the events impacting their once unbreakable relationship.
‘To establish a relationship, break it and allow the characters to tentatively start to put it back together in the space of an hour is quite an incredible feat of writing. One with Kerry Drumm accomplishes with a flair that to the audience appears effortless’.
The Roaming Reader – Edinburgh Fringe Festival
It’s a fantastic coming together of Drumm’s dialogue and the O’Kanes’ delivery, that will wring your heart through love, grief, fear, and joy.‘
Stage Whispers – Mark Wickett
‘Brothers is exceptionally fine theatre: an engaging well-written script about characters we care about deeply; skilled acting; sharp direction; and sympathetic production elements.’
Barefoot Review – Kym Clayton
‘Bring some tissues with you to this one because, wow, it’s a tear-jerker. Two estranged brothers are reunited through the most unfortunate of times.’
The Advertiser
What People Are Saying
‘Fantastically gripping throughout, the two actors brought the story to life with incredible realness. Couldn’t stop watching as the story unfolded! Brilliant!‘
— Rebecca Anderson, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘Poignant, touching, funny and great acting. Well done!‘
– Maria Gray, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘This show had it all really. Punchy from the start it covered difficult relationship of estranged brothers, child abuse, substance use and underlying causes, grief, cancer and the personal impact of this and yet, comedy lines were seamlessly woven in beautifully. The writing and production was spot on and the actors performed exceptionally well, battling against and for the relationship they had, have and may yet to have as brothers. So glad I had the chance to see this.‘
– Chris Henderson, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘Excellence acting and non stop action. Highly recommend. Enjoy watching the life journey of two brothers.’
– Linda Radler, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
”Just saw this play today, one of my favourite so far of the Fringe and as an Edinburgh resident I’ve been to many. Great piece of story telling and incredible characterisation. Brilliant, well done and thank you.‘ –
Kevin Lowrie, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘What fantastic show, a total rollercoaster of emotions, and all done with a lot of humour, the dynamic between these two estranged brothers is mesmerising and kept me gripped from start to finish. Outstanding writing. This is a must see play at the Fringe.‘
– Sharon Moggach, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘A real hidden gem. Superb quality of acting. the brotherly bond both shines through and, at times, takes your breath away. Great mixture of brotherly humour and raw emotion. I was blown away by the performance … deserving of a full audience each night.’
– Sarah O’Neill, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘Brilliant acting! The story of two brothers trying to find a way to ask each other for forgiveness, interrupted by some flashbacks, may not be the most complicated one, but it is deeply felt by the actors. A non-stop roller coaster of emotions. Totally recommend!‘
– Anton Zherzdev, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘Brothers really is a must-see for this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Drumm has written a beautifully scripted play about two estranged brothers who are brought together by their need for support in their own personal time of crisis.
If interested in reading or have a conversation about the license for Brothers, please do get in-touch and we can have a chat!
Want a read?
Brothers – Opening Scene
Tour Dates
Preview – Williamstown Little Theatre – March 2022
Adelaide Fringe Festival – Bakehouse Theatre, March 2022
Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Zoo Playgournd – August 2022
Melbourne Fringe Festival – Gasworks Arts Centre – 11 – 15 October 2022
Production Stills
Liam O’Kane
Brothers 2022
Liam O’Kane and Daniel O’Kane
Brothers 2022
Daniel O’Kane
Brothers 2022
Daniel O’Kane and Liam O’Kane
Brothers 2022
The Roaming Reader – Edinburgh Fringe Festival
This play made me sob! And I had to text my siblings afterwards. It’s always a mark of a good piece of art when it bleeds into your real life and you carry the emotions forward out of the venue.
Following the arc of two brothers, as they battle cancer and addiction in their present, this play switches effortlessly between the hospital and the events of their past which leads to their estrangement. To establish a relationship, break it and allow the characters to tentatively start to put it back together in the space of an hour is quite an incredible feat of writing. One which Kerry Drumm accomplishes with a flair that to the audience appears effortless.
This play completely understands (and represents) the sibling bond — how beautiful it can be and how much it can hurt; how much you need them even when you think you don’t.
The two actors had wonderful chemistry; potentially helped by the fact they’re brothers themselves but saying so should not dismiss their skill which was very apparent within the fast dialogue. They transitioned seamlessly between the brothers’ relationship as it fluctuated, keeping the emotional threads tightly wound. A lot of differing emotions are incorporated into the hour, on top of which there are a lot of props and a lot of things teased at the beginning which are slowly revealed.
This mystery of the prior trauma had me completely hooked throughout the play and it was realistic how sometimes a big event has to happen to bring two people back together, reminding them of how much they care for the other. And how important that is, more so than whatever drove them apart. There was so much love and protection here alongside the anger and frustration. Eventually positivity has to win out.
As a side point which does not effect the quality of the show at all, I chuckled at the prop book being Twilight, considering it doubled both as a character’s favourite book and as a priest’s bible!
Credits
Matt – Daniel O’Kane
Jay – Liam O’Kane
Writer – Kerry Drumm
Director – Peter Newling
Producer – Emma Hunt – Little Red Fox Productions
Production Design – Kerry Drumm
Costume Design – Tony Tartaro
Sound Design – Backlot Studio
Lighting Design – Craig Pearcy
Stage Manger (WLT, Adelaide) Rosalin Shafik-Eid
Videos
Brothers – TRAILER
In Converstation
We grabbed five minutes with Daniel and Liam O’Kane to talk all things Brothers.
Editor – Visual Jigsaw
Workshops and Development
Developed over 18 months and during Covid lockdowns here in Melbourne, Brothers is a play I worked on closely with director, Peter Newling, actors Daniel O’Kane and Liam O’Kane.
Over a series of workshops I completed the play early 2021.
Brothers is produced by Little Red Fox Productions and is due to tour 2022.
Kerry Drumm 