Sunny Afternoon
Cliffs Pavilion
20th - 24th September 2016
Cliffs Pavilion
20th - 24th September 2016
Sunny Afternoon is the award winning musical based on the music of 60s band, The Kinks, with music and lyrics by the group's lead singer, Ray Davies. It depicts the group's rise from their Muswell Hill beginnings to eventually becoming part of the 'British Invasion' of the USA and performing at Madison Square Gardens. Set against the back-drop of a Britain caught mid-swing between the conservative 50s and riotous 60s, this production explores the euphoric highs and lows of one of Britain’s most iconic bands and the music that was to influence generations.
Having heard all the hype about this show, which will finish it's run in the West End in October, I was keen to see for myself what the fuss was all about. The production boasts an impressive set adorned from wall to wall with various types of speakers - an indication perhaps to the fact that The Kinks liked to play their music LOUD! A central runway into the stalls is a novel idea for a musical production and also gives the audience an opportunity to get a close up view of the action.
Everything about this production is pretty much faultless to the point of almost being over produced. Like a lot of 'juke box' musicals, the dialogue is a little cheesy at times and is obviously geared towards building up opportunities to play a Kink's song that will fit in to the appropriate moment. This is aided by the fact that Ray Davies - and we are told this numerous times throughout the show - could write about pretty much anything that was happening in his life, practically as it was occurring. For example, the band are taken to a swanky clothes shop to try on some fancy suits to perform in - Ray writes a song about it - Dedicated Follower of Fashion. Ray and his wife Rasa are separated a lot, with him working abroad with the band - Ray writes I Go To Sleep. England win the world cup in 1966, he writes Sunny Afternoon - you get the gist.
Ray's relationship with his brother Dave is a constant source of amusement as they bicker and fight, as siblings do. Dave the younger brother, in all his debauched glory, is played fabulously and with great characterisation by Mark Newnham. Mark, incidentally, left All or Nothing the musical about the Small Faces playing Steve Marriott to perform this part and one can't help but compare the two productions. More of that later.
There are some fine musical performances also from Ryan O'Donnell as Ray, Garmon Rhys as Pete Quaife and Andrew Gallo as Mick Avory all playing their own instruments skillfully to provide the great sound of The Kinks. Lisa Wright plays Ray's love interest and eventual wife, Rasa, beautifully and they are all supported by a clearly talented ensemble who also play instruments throughout.
Fans of The Kinks will, I'm sure, love this trip down memory lane and you could almost sense some members of the audience wallowing in nostalgia as their memories were jogged by what was happening on the stage. This is a rather long winded production (2 hr 50 mins including interval) and regardless of its West End slickness, there seems to be a lack of any originality story-wise; I can't say that I ever felt an emotional tug towards any of the characters. It's that same old story of the young band who come good, with the usual ups and downs that crop up along the way - inter-band rows......"we need each other, we just don't like each other", relationships getting in the way of progress, management problems and tax issues - we've kind of heard it all before.
One poignant moment, however, which I thought was going to run through the show and eventually complete the thread of the story was when Ray tells the story to Rasa of how his interest in playing the guitar began. His older sister Rene gave him a guitar on his 13th birthday and played him a song on it that he desperately hoped he would be able to remember again as, tragically, she was to die the same day from a congenital heart defect. His sister obviously had a huge emotional impact on his life and we are left wondering whether he ever did remember that tune.
I have to admit that despite the big budget production values of Sunny Afternoon, I much preferred the grittiness and sentimentality of All or Nothing. Having said that, the show left a clearly delighted audience at the end of Southend's opening night, with everyone on their feet, clapping along to an almost concert-like finale as the band performed, amongst others, their 1970 single, Lola - clearly a firm favourite amongst the Kink's fans in the house and I daresay an indication, judging by last night's audience's reaction, that the band may now have a few new fans.
For tickets go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk or call the box office on 01702 351135
Having heard all the hype about this show, which will finish it's run in the West End in October, I was keen to see for myself what the fuss was all about. The production boasts an impressive set adorned from wall to wall with various types of speakers - an indication perhaps to the fact that The Kinks liked to play their music LOUD! A central runway into the stalls is a novel idea for a musical production and also gives the audience an opportunity to get a close up view of the action.
Everything about this production is pretty much faultless to the point of almost being over produced. Like a lot of 'juke box' musicals, the dialogue is a little cheesy at times and is obviously geared towards building up opportunities to play a Kink's song that will fit in to the appropriate moment. This is aided by the fact that Ray Davies - and we are told this numerous times throughout the show - could write about pretty much anything that was happening in his life, practically as it was occurring. For example, the band are taken to a swanky clothes shop to try on some fancy suits to perform in - Ray writes a song about it - Dedicated Follower of Fashion. Ray and his wife Rasa are separated a lot, with him working abroad with the band - Ray writes I Go To Sleep. England win the world cup in 1966, he writes Sunny Afternoon - you get the gist.
Ray's relationship with his brother Dave is a constant source of amusement as they bicker and fight, as siblings do. Dave the younger brother, in all his debauched glory, is played fabulously and with great characterisation by Mark Newnham. Mark, incidentally, left All or Nothing the musical about the Small Faces playing Steve Marriott to perform this part and one can't help but compare the two productions. More of that later.
There are some fine musical performances also from Ryan O'Donnell as Ray, Garmon Rhys as Pete Quaife and Andrew Gallo as Mick Avory all playing their own instruments skillfully to provide the great sound of The Kinks. Lisa Wright plays Ray's love interest and eventual wife, Rasa, beautifully and they are all supported by a clearly talented ensemble who also play instruments throughout.
Fans of The Kinks will, I'm sure, love this trip down memory lane and you could almost sense some members of the audience wallowing in nostalgia as their memories were jogged by what was happening on the stage. This is a rather long winded production (2 hr 50 mins including interval) and regardless of its West End slickness, there seems to be a lack of any originality story-wise; I can't say that I ever felt an emotional tug towards any of the characters. It's that same old story of the young band who come good, with the usual ups and downs that crop up along the way - inter-band rows......"we need each other, we just don't like each other", relationships getting in the way of progress, management problems and tax issues - we've kind of heard it all before.
One poignant moment, however, which I thought was going to run through the show and eventually complete the thread of the story was when Ray tells the story to Rasa of how his interest in playing the guitar began. His older sister Rene gave him a guitar on his 13th birthday and played him a song on it that he desperately hoped he would be able to remember again as, tragically, she was to die the same day from a congenital heart defect. His sister obviously had a huge emotional impact on his life and we are left wondering whether he ever did remember that tune.
I have to admit that despite the big budget production values of Sunny Afternoon, I much preferred the grittiness and sentimentality of All or Nothing. Having said that, the show left a clearly delighted audience at the end of Southend's opening night, with everyone on their feet, clapping along to an almost concert-like finale as the band performed, amongst others, their 1970 single, Lola - clearly a firm favourite amongst the Kink's fans in the house and I daresay an indication, judging by last night's audience's reaction, that the band may now have a few new fans.
For tickets go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk or call the box office on 01702 351135
Ask the Audience
David Perry, Westcliff-on-Sea
"What a wonderful show I saw tonight at the Cliffs Pavilion. The Kinks musical, Sunny Afternoon, was a real supersmasher!!! I loved the acting and I really enjoyed singing along to all the band's great hits put into the story!!! It was brilliant!!! I love The Kinks."
"What a wonderful show I saw tonight at the Cliffs Pavilion. The Kinks musical, Sunny Afternoon, was a real supersmasher!!! I loved the acting and I really enjoyed singing along to all the band's great hits put into the story!!! It was brilliant!!! I love The Kinks."