Sunny Afternoon, the jukebox musical telling the story of The Kinks, one of the most influential rock bands of the 60s and beyond, stops off at Richmond Theatre this week as part of its tour – Helen Cox went to check it out for us.
Directed by Edward Hall, Sunny Afternoon features music and lyrics by the legendary Ray Davies, with a book by Joe Penhall, and follows the early beginnings of the band.
Previously called The Ramrods, then The Ravens, they were a backing group for crooners in the early 60’s, until they caught the attention of manager Larry Page (Alasdair Craig) and influential music producers. They changed their name, and The Kinks were born.
Sunny Afternoon celebrates the timeless sound of one of the most iconic bands in Britain, telling their story through their songs, including the discordant guitar sound of “You Really Want Me”, the groundbreaking “Lola”, and the iconic ballad “Waterloo Sunset”.
The band consisted of four members, two of which were brothers, Ray and Dave Davies, around who the show is mainly based. Ray, being the main songwriter, and Dave, the younger one, being a bit of a rebel, cause rivalry between them.
The drummer and guitarist made up the other two members. Danny Horn as Ray and Oliver Hoare as Dave gave excellent performances, with good support from Zakarie Stokes as drummer Mick Avory, and Harry Curley as original guitarist, the late Pete Quaife.
All four played their instruments live on stage. The lighting and energy made it feel like a real gig, with great atmosphere. Around this, other characters came into the story, including Ray’s first wife, Rasa (Lisa Wright).
The personal story is set against the political background of the time, including their management problems and dispute with the Musicians’ Union that kept them out of the USA for four years, while their contemporaries reaped the rewards of ‘the British Invasion’.
The stage design by Miriam Buether was made up of loads of speaker units with the backdrop being a recording studio window (a design quirk also used at the recent West End visit of Stereophonic); other scenes are colourful, energetic, and fitting for an exploration of the Swinging Sixties.
The storyline is not too heavy or in-depth, but it makes the small moments interesting and often comical in parts. I am not a Kinks fan, but thoroughly enjoyed the show and would describe it as ‘a great night’s entertainment’.
Tonight’s show was in the presence of the original Kinks drummer, Mick Avory, which was a real treat for us all. He had accompanied the cast to various iconic Kinks landmarks back in January.
I give this show 4 stars.
Sunny Afternoon is at Richmond Theatre until 4 Apr, then visits Stoke-on-Trent, Stockton-on-Tees, and Edinburgh before the tour comes to a close in Liverpool on 23 May. Details here.
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan