This long-running hit has a great story at the core: two brothers separated at birth who die at the instant they learn of their kinship. But there's no memorable music to go along with this intriguing yarn. That doesn't stop Russell from trying to pound one of his ephemeral creations into our brains. Over and over, the boys' mom -- played perkily by Petula Clark clone Lyn Paul -- sings new riffs on the opening number, "Marilyn Monroe." They're just as tangential to the twins' story as the title implies.
Andy Snowden and Drew Ashton are touching as the brothers, and Debbie Eden is captivating as their ladylove. But we cut away too often to the adults, and the narrator (Keith Burns) colors everything with a facile grimness that is repellent.
