Sunny Afternoon
The Harold Pinter Theatre
19 AUGUST 2016
£20 per ticket (on Love Theatre)
I am a big fan of the Kinks music, so when I saw that there was a musical dedicated solely to Kinks songs which explored their lives and rise to fame, I was immediately interested. By some strange miracle, I signed onto Love Theatre and this very play was under a 24 hour offer, where you could get pretty decent seats for £20 each. I went out on a whim and snaffled two of them immediately.
The seats we ended up getting were right in the middle of the Stalls - perfect, and most often the most expensive. The tickets we collected from the box office actually said £75.00 written on them, making me even more smug about my secret bargain. Sunny Afternoon won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, the Daily Telegraph also rated the show five stars, labelling it "A blazing triumph". Originally shown at Hampstead theatre, it then transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in Leicester Square.
The show was good fun, I must admit. However, it seemed to lack the class and superiority which the Kinks so justly deserve... The script was at times cheesy, and the acting so-so. This felt like a pantomime, although I guess most musicals do, I think I was just expecting less jazz hands and campness for a play about one of the most highly influential British Bands.
The staging was simple and modest, which I think was suited to the show and the context. However, the 4 leads came across as moody teenagers, whilst those 'baddies' around them like typical panto villains - I was almost tempted to boo and hiss when they came on stage. It was generally just lacking the spunk I expected, there wasn't really any major drama, no swearing and no sex or drugs to go along with the rock and roll (if you can call a musical 'rock and roll').
Overall, the show was a light hearted and fluffy take on the Kinks, which, for some, will be welcomed with open arms. I was fine with my £20 a ticket deal, but I wouldn't have been happy if I had forked out £75 for this one. Sunny Afternoon is the kind of show you can take your 5 year old brother or 80 year old grandma to. Unfortunately, though, I don't think the Kinks would be honoured by its output.
OVERALL RATING: ***
https://sunnyafternoonthemusical.com/
