‘Sunny Afternoon’ Kinks bio-musical rocks

FOUR WORKING-CLASS MUSWELL HILL LADS: (left to right) Ned Derrington, John Dagleish, Adam Sopp & George Magure play The Kinks in ‘Sunny Afternoon.’ Photo: Kevin Cummins

SUNNY AFTERNOON
Original story by Ray Davies
Book by Joe Penhall
Music & lyrics by Ray Davies
Directed by Edward Hall
Choreography by Adam Cooper
Harold Pinter Theatre
Panton Street
London, United Kingdom
(0844 871 7622), www.sunnyafternoonthemusical.com

By Scott Harrah

Is this a British Jersey Boys about The Kinks or a jukebox musical/biography that simply works because the story is compelling and the songs actually compliment and even propel the action? Whatever the case, the show, winner of 4 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical, should be on any rock music lover’s list if you’re in London this year.

One really doesn’t need to know much about The Kinks to enjoy Sunny Afternoon because all the elements for a great story are here: The rise and fall and rise of a rock band in the turbulent 1960s. Some of the best scenes include their appearance on TV’s “Top of the Pops,” with go-go girls and the mad garishness of swinging 1960s London (thanks to Miriam Buether’s brilliant sets). Make no mistake, however, that because The Kinks never reached the popularity in the USA of The Beatles or The Who, this is an intrinsically British musical that might never take off in America but is particularly riveting to see in the U.K. In fact, when The Kinks finally do head to our shores on tour, the USA is portrayed as a land of corrupt trade labor union leaders and thick-accented New York/New Jersey Mafia types. The Kinks fail to appear on TV’s “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which was de rigueur for any band to truly make it Stateside at the time. Although The Kinks started in the 1960s, they weren’t really popular in America until well into the 1970s (when such songs as “Lola” were rock radio standards in the States).

Sunny Afternoon chronicles the story of Ray Davies and the Kinks, four working-class Muswell Hill lads, from their early days in North London playing a debutante ball to their early successes “You Really Got Me” and “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” to their troubles making it in America and all the greedy Americans that expected to be paid as The Kinks toured and made stage and TV appearances here in the Colonies. The group was temporarily banned by a musician’s union in the USA, explaining why The Kinks never had the U.S. success that other British bands did in that era.

Joe Penhall’s solid book, written in collaboration with the group’s Ray Davies, makes Sunny Afternoon more than your average “jukebox” tribute show. A scene with Ray Davies’ long-suffering wife Rasa (Lillie Flynn) is especially touching when she makes a transatlantic phone call to him from England while he’s touring in the U.S. and she gorgeously sings the haunting ballad “I Go to Sleep” (which was written by Ray Davies but never recorded by The Kinks, and was a minor success for Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders in the USA).

The story is heavy on biographical content, particularly brothers Ray and Dave Davies and their constant squabbling, as well as the band’s volatile relationship with their managers. Americans may have trouble relating to certain aspects of the show, such as the song “Sunny Afternoon” itself being performed in 1966 when England won the World Cup (one really does need to know 1960s British culture to appreciate the significance of this).

Director Edward Hall gets many trenchant performances from the cast and especially from John Dagliesh, with his razor-sharp portrayal of Kinks front man Ray Davies. At nearly three hours long, the show feels overstuffed at times, but there’s no other way to tell the story and also include all the great Kinks hits as “Stop Your Sobbing” (also a hit for The Pretenders), “A Rock and Roll Fantasy,” the hippie-dippy, psychedelic anthem “Waterloo Sunset” (which is used for a glorious finale), and more. Sunny Afternoon shines, and is a gleeful evening of entertainment that has a lot of heart and soul and truly rocks.

SIXTIES SENSATION: Carly Anderson & John Dagliesh in ‘Sunny Afternoon.’ Photo: Kevin Cummins

THE KINKS: (left to right) John Dagleish, George Maguire, Adam Sopp & Ned Derrington in ‘Sunny Afternoon.’ Photo: Kevin Cummins

CHRONICLING THE RISE & FALL & RISE OF THE KINKS: (left to right) George Maguire, Ned Derrington, Dominic Tighe, Tam Williams & Adam Sopp in ‘Sunny Afternoon.’ Photo: Kevin Cummins

SIXTIES SENSATION: The company of ‘Sunny Afternoon.’ Photo: Kevin Cummins

OLIVIER AWARD WINNER FOR BEST MUSICAL: (left to right) Lillie Flynn, John Dagliesh & George Maguire in ‘Sunny Afternoon.’ Photo: Kevin Cummins

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 1, 2015
Reviewed at performance on June 18, 2015 in London