Interview: Sehnaz Dirik Talks BLOOD BROTHERS at Theater UnCorked

In the past few theater seasons, Sehnaz Dirik has enhanced her reputation for playing strong women.

In 2023, the Turkish-American performer, a veteran of more than 40 years on greater Boston stages, starred as Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” – for which she won the 2024 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Small Company – as Eleanor of Aquitaine in 2024’s “The Lion in Winter,” and, in a comedic turn last season, as Alexa in “As Bees in Honey Drown.”

Dirik is not only a performer – she is also producing artistic director of Theater UnCorked, now in its seventh season of presenting musicals and plays at the Calderwood Pavilion and Plaza Theatres at the Boston Center for the Arts. A three-time IRNE Award winner for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “A Little Night Music,” and “Kimberly Akimbo,” Dirik is currently appearing in Theater UnCorked’s latest production, the musical “Blood Brothers,” under the direction of Audrey Seraphin, through November 23 at the BCA.

With book, lyrics, and music by Willy Russell, and set in the 1960s to 1980s, “Blood Brothers” revolves around fraternal twins Mickey and Eddie, who were separated at birth, one going on to be brought up in a wealthy family, the other in a poor family. The different socioeconomic backgrounds take the twins to opposite ends of society – one becoming a councilor, the other unemployed and ultimately imprisoned. Without knowing they are brothers, the pair become friends. When they both fall in love with the same woman, though, a rift develops in their relationship.

Originally developed as a high-school play, “Blood Brothers” had its professional debut in Liverpool before it transferred to the West End in 1983, where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical. A 1988 West End revival ran for more than 24 years, playing more than 10,000 performances before closing in 2012.

The musical has since been produced all over world, including on Broadway where it opened at the Music Box Theatre in April 1993. During a two-year run, real-life half-brothers David and Shaun Cassidy played the twins, and pop singers Petula Clark, in her Broadway debut, Carole King, and Helen Reddy played Mrs. Johnstone, the role Dirik has taken on in the current Boston production.

Joining Dirik at Theater UnCorked are fellow performers Chris Edwards, Michael Mazzone, Zach Fuller, Janet Pohli, James Honaker, Lauren Casey, Rohan Misra, Kate Funderburk, and Lawrence Chasse.

By telephone recently, Dirik discussed “Blood Brothers” and more.

What made you decide to program “Blood Brothers” for this season at Theater UnCorked?

It’s been on our bucket list for all seven seasons. I did the show 27 years ago at Arlington Friends of the Drama and it has lived in my mind ever since. At Theater UnCorked, we like to do things that are powerful and leave an impression. The score and story for this show are truly powerful, so they really fit that bill.

When you’re deciding what shows to present, are you drawn to ones with roles that you can play?

I’ve been doing theater for 45 years, and have played all manner of parts. When it comes to Theater UnCorked, however, I don’t pick shows only because there is a role for me. There are many great characters in them, and sometimes I’m lucky enough to play one – like Mrs. Johnstone in this show.

Tell me about your character?

Mrs. Johnstone is a loving, nurturing, and strong woman, but she’s in a part of society, economically, that often leaves her feeling left out. She’s always gotten her share of male attention, however, and has often been compared to Marilyn Monroe. Ultimately, though, the men always leave her.

Indeed, her husband has abandoned her, too, because she is expecting twins. She is then manipulated by her employer’s wife, Mrs. Lyons, into believing that she is doing the right thing by giving the woman one of the twins to raise before Child Welfare can step in and take the rest of her children. But when Mrs. Lyons then takes one of the twins as her own, Mrs. Johnstone goes into manic depression over the situation.

The story sounds heart-wrenching. Is it an emotional show to perform?

It sure is and you absolutely feel it. When we finish a performance, we all go out and decompress.

This show has a cast of 10. What’s that like?

This is really an ensemble piece, giving each of us our own moment to shine. All our actors are stars in this one. Two of the actors play four to six roles and they each have a moment within each character that’s either very funny or poignant. Every one of our actors contributes something to make the production great.

What are the challenges of working with and among actors who are also working for you?

I wear so many hats, because this company is my baby, which usually means I’m involved in some way in every little thing. For me, though, there is no challenge. Being an actor among other actors is home for me, and we take a very collaborative approach because we work with talent of all ages. We get a lot of young actors who appreciate the opportunity to work with our company.