Sunny Afternoon - Harold Pinter Theatre

'Sunny Afternoon'

Sunny Afternoon is a 'jukebox musical' depicting the formation and fortunes of 60s/70s British band The Kinks. I've been a fan of The Kinks ever since hearing 'You Really Got Me' and the one that sounds almost identical to 'You Really Got Me', 'All Day and All of the Night', on a Sixties tape in the car as a child. 'Death of a Clown' and the titular 'Sunny Afternoon' were, I believe on different tapes; the latter was also one of my favourite songs. This being the case, I had high expectations for the musical.

It was strange seeing John Dagleish as frontman of the band Ray Davies, having only seen him before as the winsome, accordion-playing Alf Arless in Larkrise to Candleford. But he was really good, both in musical terms and in conveying the complexity of the character (i.e. haunted by his older sister's death, a musical genius, a perfectionist struggling with depression etc.). I couldn't help feeling endeared to all the 'boys', despite some of their more obnoxious antics.

One of my favourite scenes was that showing the 1965 gig in Cardiff that ended in a fight between Dave and Mick. Pete, the bass guitar player, tries to carry on performing after the other two have been taken off/run away respectively, playing the guitar and the drums at the same time. The script was genuinely funny; there were some laugh out loud moments. I particularly enjoyed the communist/socialist scene set in America.

The relative intimacy of the theatre meant that it was easy to get absorbed in the show. The runway running from the centre of the stage through the audience was mainly occupied by enthusiastic female dancers in classic 60s outfits. All the major Kinks songs were played. 'Tired of Waiting' wasn't played in its entirety, which I felt slightly disappointed about because it's one of my favourites, but it was alluded to in another song. The music fitted in well with the action; it didn't feel as though it had been crowbarred in. Lillie Flynn, who played Rasa, Ray's wife, had a really beautiful voice.

Given Ray Davies' involvement in Sunny Afternoon (he's credited under 'Original Story'), I wonder whether it portrays him in an unrealistically positive light. From what I've read, Ray's relationship with Dave was always volatile, while in the musical the animosity between Dave and Mick is highlighted and Ray is presented mostly as a concerned older brother in relation to Dave. Ray's relationship with Rasa is also probably idealized, to some extent, given that they ended up divorcing. However, I don't think it matters how much is true and how much is seen through rose-tinted spectacles if the story's good and the characters are interesting - provided there are no serious objections from the people it's portraying.

In conclusion it was funny, feel-good and absorbing, and I would recommend it. It had more 'soul', somehow, than Jersey Boys. Be prepared to be encouraged to dance at the end.

Next: Eigengrau