“Sunny Afternoon” – The Kinks musical.
Sunny Afternoon is a new musical charting the rise of The Kinks – one of the most influential and successful British rock bands of the 60’s. They had multiple hits including three UK number 1’s and also cracked America as part of the first “British Invasion”.
The piece first joins them when they are called The Ravens, and from the off the piece really evokes the feel of the 60’s. The set itself is entire walls made up of speakers which resembles a recording studio. We follow them as brothers Ray & Dave Davies along with Mick Avory and Peter Quaife land their first record deal and then literally soar to success. We see the highs and lows of the band: chart success, in-fighting, a turbulent tour of America and near implosion. As frontman Ray Davies Danny Horn is fantastic, as is Oliver Hoare as his wild child brother Dave. The whole cast really throw themselves into this.
At the heart of this of course is the music. And it’s fantastic. This is where the show really comes alive. There is a fantastic recreation of a Top of the Pops performance. Some of the best music from the 60’s.
The script and pace could really do with some work. There are (many) times where it becomes a bit flat and really drags proceedings. This is really at odds with how exciting the band were. At times it is more of a cloudy morning than a sunny afternoon. However, a song will come along and brings it back to life. The audience are here for the music and they also come to life during the songs. The songs really had the audience on their feet. Fans of The Kinks will really lap it up.
A show which really evokes the 60’s British music scene. Again – the music is absolutely sensational. In fact the music is worth the ticket price alone. Hits like “You Really Got Me”, “Lola”, “Days”, “Waterloo Sunset”, “All Day and All of the Night” and of course “Sunny Afternoon” sound absolutely fantastic live and it’s great to hear them again in a big venue. It will have you singing all the way home.
Three stars. Guaranteed to have you on your feet.
