A STORY with Scousers singing and dancing evokes one of two images - The Beatles or a Liverpudlian adaptation of Oliver.

Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is somewhere between the two, with worse songs but better hair.

The Liverpool-set musical is a contemporary take on the nature versus nurture argument, with twins separated at birth growing up on opposite ends of the social spectrum.

A chance encounter as children leads to the brothers becoming life-long friends.

But powerless to fight against the pressures of their respective class backgrounds, one becomes an Oxbridge graduate and the other unemployed and imprisoned.

When both fall in love with the same girl it’s not long before tragedy strikes.

The first time I saw this show, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary, was as a spotty teenager dragged along on a school trip designed to culture state school pupils.

It wasn’t half as bad as I had imagined and I might go so far as saying I was moved by its gritty drama and uplifted by the jaunty score.

So on moving to London six years ago, I jumped at the chance of seeing my very own high school musical in the West End’s Phoenix Theatre.

But more than 10 years later, with my youthful optimism surgically removed and my cynical specs tinting the world a shade of crappy brown, what was once an exciting, poignant tale of class divide was suddenly as believable and gripping as worn-out old velcro.

Showered with awards and plaudits Blood Brothers has now arrived at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre for a two week run.

As you can expect, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy when I was invited to watch the show for a third time.

However, to my surprise I didn’t once reach for my cyanide suicide pills.

Instead, I found myself involuntarily tapping my feet to the infectious score, which includes the whimsical Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged Tell Me It’s Not True.

Lyn Paul is astounding as downtrodden single mum Mrs Johnstone, reprising the role she played in the West End more than a decade ago.

It’s a role she obviously knows inside-out and is utterly believable, even if the plot is not at times.

Lyn steals the show whenever on stage and her vocals are as powerful and stirring as her acting.

Sean Jones and Simon Willmont as the eponymous twins also deliver strong performances.

But because the pair are cast as the seven-year-old Mickey and Eddie in the first act, they only really shine when playing the roles as adults in the second half.

Like Brookside with songs, Blood Brothers is a crowd-pleasing soap opera which strikes an easy balance between weighty drama and light-hearted fun.

If you are looking for a pleasant, entertaining and diverting way to spend an evening, do anything to get a ticket.

If you want to see a show-stopping masterpiece which will be remembered in the annals of musical theatre, look elsewhere.

Blood Brothers. The Churchill Theatre, Bromley. August 25 to September 5. 0844 871 7627.