A vibrant, hit-packed tribute to The Kinks, Sunny Afternoon blends sharp storytelling with electrifying performances to chart the band’s rise, rivalries and enduring legacy. Stephen Dunstan went along to the Grand Theatre on opening night of this West End hit musical for a feel-good night of music and nostalgia.
An Olivier award-winning musical with the exquisite observational song writing of Ray Davies, Sunny Afternoon stormed into the Grand Theatre this Tuesday. Well, it actually started in sotto voce fashion with a background music scene segueing into the opening dialogue. But it accelerated quickly to a higher tempo it generally maintained all night.
Sunny Afternoon is a rather self-reflecting affair. It charts the uneven rise of the group from Muswell origins to chart success and some more off key episodes notably a ban from performing in the United States. It’s largely told from the perspective of Ray Davies, with the love-hate relationship between him and brother Dave a key part of the narrative arc. There is another plot line about the issues of bumbling management taking too much of a cut of the revenue – not your average musical then.
The essence of the show is, as you might expect, the performance of the greatest Kinks hits. This includes the early raucous breakthrough hits of You Really Got Me and All Day And All Of The Night and the mellower later singles such as Waterloo Sunset and Days as well as the eponymous Sunny Afternoon.
There are also lesser known numbers and Ray Davies songs that were released by other artists. In the latter category there was a charming rendition of I Go To Sleep, originally recorded by Peggy Lee but better known as a Pretenders track. This was sung as part of a strong performance as Rasa by Sorrel Jordan, so it was a surprise to find out from notices in the foyer that she was an understudy.
I can’t overstate how good the sound was on this performance. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but it really isn’t. In a musical which features a number of high-energy songs it really adds to the experience that it sounds phenomenal. The size and acoustics of the Grand Theatre probably added to this – we were in the Dress Circle but we could have been on the front row. It was superb.
There are a number of charming period set pieces as well, in particular one relating to the England World Cup victory in 1966. It’s all a bit like the opening to the Austin Powers film in terms of swinging 1960 choreography, which again is absolutely meant as a compliment rather than a criticism. It’s also one of those musicals that does a medley for an encore, and the number of people on their feet for this showed a good time was had by all.
If you are a fan of The Kinks it almost goes without saying that you would enjoy Sunny Afternoon. If you’re not a fan or just not familiar with their work this production is still very much recommended. It ebbs and flows but during the performance numbers the musicianship and the production values help make a night to remember. Catch this show and you won’t have to wonder Where Have All The Good Times Gone.
Sunny Afternoon is at the Grand Theatre until 2nd May. Book tickets here.
