* Apologies for the time it has taken to produce this review, I have been fully occupied with auditions for my own production but can now breathe once more. *
Thank you for the days,
those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I’m thinking of the days.
I won’t forget a single day, believe me.
The Kinks, a band which led to thousands in the 1960s picking up a guitar and learning to play. And why not? Those opening chords of You Really Got Me are enough to get anyone hooked. Simple, if you know how, but so effective. And I had no hesitation going to see Sunny Afternoon with original music, lyrics and story by Kinks legend, Ray Davies and book from Joe Penhall. The show does what it says on the tin, basically; the story of the formation, success, and those behind the music. No band’s history is ever strife-free, and The Kinks were no exception. For those who thought rock sibling rivalry began with the Gallaghers in Oasis, then research the Kinks with Ray and Dave Davies.
The first thing to note in this production is that most of the instruments are played onstage by the actors, adding to that rock gig feel. It is a format I have seen many times before and one which always works well. You really feel immersed in the experience, the music near pulling you up on stage and it is no surprise that the auditorium was rocking from start to finish. Well, it really got me, if you forgive the awful pun.
A Well Respected Man, Dead End Street, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Stop Your Sobbing, Where Have All the Good Times Gone, I Go to Sleep, I’m Not Like Everybody Else, and of course, Sunny Afternoon. And it doesn’t stop there. The massive Waterloo Sunset, All Day and All of the Night, Lola, Tired of Waiting and finally, an acapella version of Days. Now I am not a fan of that medium, but this worked, signifying the parting between the band and their management team.
Immense on stage were Danny Horn (Ray Davies), Oliver Hoare (Dave Davies), Harry Curley (Peter Quaife) and Zakarie Stokes (Mick Avory). Supporting well, though were Lisa Wright (Rasa) Phil Corbitt (Mr Davies), Sorrel Jordan (Mrs Davies), Alisdair Craig (Larry Page), and Ben Caplan (Eddie Kassner) among others.
Sunny Afternoon did its job for me. The next day I had The Kinks coming through the Bluetooth Speaker, reliving the show. They were (and still are) a great band. Many who may not be that familiar with the The Kinks will be surprised just how many songs they know when they hear them. I’ve seen a few jukebox musicals and this was the best of them all. Touring the UK until May 2026, so there are plenty of opportunities to inhale a part of musical history. I highly recommend it.
Cheers.
Antony N Britt
*Photos taken from the public domain and may not be representative of the performance reviewed.
Antony N Britt - Author 