On last Friday’s rainy evening we braced the inclement
weather to watch Sunny Afternoon –
the Olivier award-winning musical based on the music of The Kinks.
Most of you know I’m a bit of a musical theatre fanatic and
have recently returned to the stage myself, so unsurprisingly I was really
looking forward to it.
Unusual for a Friday, it was actually the opening night of
its national UK tour at Manchester
Opera House and it certainly did not disappoint.
The show charts the band’s turbulent rise to fame from their
humble beginnings in Muswell Hill, London and had heavy involvement from The Kinks frontman Ray Davies. Exploring
the themes of sibling rivalry, management/ relationship problems and the socio-economic
issues of the time, the musical is brimming with many of the band’s favourite hits
(over 25) including You Really Got Me,
Waterloo Sunset and of course, the
title song - Sunny Afternoon.
All about the music
I can safely say it is not like other shows – it was more
like going to a gig than watching a musical. Set amongst the sex, drugs and
rock and roll of the Swinging Sixties, Sunny
Afternoon provided all three in abundance.
The music speaks for itself, drug and alcohol use are
explored primarily through the substance abuse of lead guitarist Dave Davies
(played by Mark Newnhan) and the sex comes in the form of the miniskirt-clad GoGo
dancers. Though the on-stage charisma of lead singer Ray Davies (played by Ryan O'Donnell) also gets a thoroughly deserved mention in this regard.
From Dave’s life changing addition of the power chord thanks to a decimated amplifier to You Really Got Me (each set of chords getting
increasingly amplified in response to enthusiastic shouts of “louder” from the audience), to the constant feeling of being in the throngs of a crowd at a concert,
this show really is all about the music. And it shouldn’t be any other way.
Everyone’s in the band
Strong vocals and appropriate rock star attitude aside, the
cast playing members of The Kinks all also have to play their own relevant instruments,
which they did extremely proficiently. Consistent on drums was Andrew Gallo playing Mick Avory, conquering the bassline was Garmon Rhys playing Peter
Quaife and excellent rhythm guitar and lead vocals came from Donnell's incarnation
of Ray Davies . But the real (guitar) hero was Newnham's Dave Davies who’s mastered
the art of exceptional lead guitar whilst at the same time making sure his character
appeared appropriately under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Sensational.
Let us not forget the traditional “orchestra” for this
musical – one keyboard player and guitarist on stage throughout to provide cover
at strategic points during the show, as well as contribute to the overall richness
of the sound. They did a sterling job, as did Lisa Wright as Rasa (Ray’s
girlfriend-turned-wife) .
But the instrumental participation did not stop there. At some
point during the musical, I’m pretty sure almost every member of the 20-strong
cast had their hands on an instrument at one point, whether it was the
comically choreographed trombone playing from “posh” managers Larry Page and
Grenville Collins, to strumming a washing board or banging a metal bin Stomp-style,
they fully embraced the spirit of the band and their music.
Setting the scene
The majority of scenes (unsurprisingly) take place in
various music studios or concert halls, so the basic set was three walls covered
in amplifiers and speakers (add stars and stripes for US-based scenes) with
props and set to resemble hotel rooms, bedrooms and more mundane locations moved
in on automatic scenery wagons.
There was also a catwalk apron jutting out part way into the
audience. I had mixed feelings about its effectiveness – it worked for some of the choreography and “concert”
scenes but at other times it felt slightly forced, like it was being used just because
it was there rather than being needed for the overall effectiveness of the set.
The costumes were absolutely fabulous and have turned me into a dedicated follower of sixties fashion. I wanted to add several of the more vintage items to my wardrobe – though I’d better get working on my squats if I want to wear the miniskirts.
The costumes were absolutely fabulous and have turned me into a dedicated follower of sixties fashion. I wanted to add several of the more vintage items to my wardrobe – though I’d better get working on my squats if I want to wear the miniskirts.
Standout songs
The real standout musical numbers for me include the effective
setting of London’s sixties music scene in Denmark
Street and the extravagance, fun and frivolity of Dedicated Follower of Fashion. But my absolute favourite (and
favourite The Kinks song) was the
finale – Lola.
Now I was starting to become slightly concerned as we neared
the end of the show and there was no sign of this song. Whilst I was a bit
disappointed there was no scene set in a club down in Old Soho, where you drink
champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola, it was definitely the perfect crowd-pleasing
finale song and had every member of the mostly grey-haired audience up on their
feet reliving their youth; our transformation from theatre goers to gig
attendees complete.
Adaptable for amateur productions?
Being in musicals myself, I always watch them with a hint of
my “professional” amateur (that’s an oxymoron) theatre head on, working out how
it could be staged and who could play the principal roles. So is Sunny Afternoon suitable for amateur theatre?
Well, I know a lot of extremely talented people in Manchester’s
amateur theatre world and whilst a few who are also talented musicians would certainly
fit the bill, I feel this is one way in which it may be a struggle. Sure, you
could certainly teach a couple of members of the chorus to be able to produce some
half-decent basic notes on a trombone, but the musicality required of the band
members would certainly be a challenge in this regard. That said, we always
love a challenge and proving people wrong in am dram, so watch this space when
the rights are released.
In summary, a new favourite musical of mine and a thoroughly
enjoyable, high-octane night out. Go see it!
Sunny Afternoon is
playing at Manchester Opera House until 27 August 2016, touring
nationally until 11 March 2017.
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