russell has had success with his play "blood brothers". this is 'a liverpudlian folk opera' about a pair of twins. the twins are separated at birth and brought up in different environments. in 1983, "blood brothers" won the olivier award for best new musical. it has had over 10,000 consecutive performances during its 24-year west end run, which ended in november 2012. at the same time, there were uk touring and international productions. in 1993, the play had a two-year run on broadway. the broadway production was nominated for the 1993 tony award for best musical.