Sunny Afternoon

★★★☆☆     Nostalgic

Playhouse: Tues 5 – Sat 9 May 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson

Sunny Afternoon, the musical about the Kinks and featuring their songs, is a crowd-pleasing affair with high musical standards.

First seen at the Hampstead Theatre in 2014, the Sonia Friedman Production has had West End success and toured extensively, yet shows no sign of flagging as it drops into the Playhouse until Saturday.

Danny Horn and Company in Sunny Afternoon. Pic: Manuel Harlan.

Although the Kinks were one of the most successful British bands of the 60s, they’re not as instantly recognisable as some of the other big names of the period, which might be down partly to their endlessly fractious nature.

Songwriter and frontman Ray Davies and guitarist brother Dave’s tumultuous relationship makes the Gallaghers look like amateurs, and the group were banned from playing the USA for years at the height of their fame.

The Kinks’ catalogue does boast a variety of well-known songs (some better known from cover versions) ranging from out-and-out stompers through cheery music-hall derivatives to the utterly gorgeous Waterloo Sunset. The musical features many of those, and a book by Joe Penhall from an original story by Ray Davies himself, which details the rise to fame of the band themselves.

troubled genius

Even if you didn’t know that Davies had provided the original story for the musical, it wouldn’t be hard to guess. It’s very much focused on the singer, and tends to portray him as a troubled genius who is misunderstood by everyone else. While the storyline is largely true to the historical record, it is not difficult to imagine that some of the others portrayed might have a different take on events.

The determination to provide a happy-ish ending means the obligatory closing singalong medley comes just a few years into the band’s career. It finishes up with relationships being depicted as hindsight might wish they had been, rather than how they actually turned out.

Oliver Hoare and Company. Pic: Manuel Harlan.

The main problem with the narrative, while it is undoubtedly slick, is that it isn’t as compelling as it might be to those who aren’t diehard Kinks fans. It’s a bit too long, and there are too many of those songs that lament how terrible it is to be talented and successful.

Having a jukebox musical that’s actually about the band themselves means that the songs fit in naturally, and it should also lend itself beautifully to the visceral excitement of live music.

Here, despite the excellent singing and playing, that doesn’t really happen often enough. The only real hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck moments come from You Really Got Me and its identical twin All Day and All of the Night. And even then, the demonstration of how the former got its scuzzy damaged-amplifier guitar riff means its impact is lessened when it is finally unleashed.

performed with real skill

It’s all performed with real skill, however. Danny Horn’s Ray, with his faraway gaze and rumpled insecurities, has a real charm, while Oliver Hoare is every inch the rock’n’roll raver as Dave. That both of them lead bands as well as acting is clear; there is a credibility to their portrayals of rock stars that is usually missing in musicals.

Harry Curley and Zakarie Stokes, who are the Kinks’ other members Pete Quaife and Mick Avory, are utterly convincing in their depiction of intra-band rivalries, disagreements and full-on assaults. In the spirit of late 60s/early 70s rock, there’s even a lengthy drum solo.

Zakarie Stokes, Harry Curley and Company. Pic: Manuel Harlan.

Lisa Wright, as Ray’s first wife Rasa, gives a nuanced and three-dimensional portrait in a production where some of the characterisations verge on the cartoonish and some of the attitudes are definitely stuck in the past.

There is a huge energy throughout from the large ensemble, as well as musical talent (the various cast members provide all of the instrumental backing for the songs). Joseph Richardson and Tam Williams impress as the upper-crust managers, while Deryn Edwards and Phil Corbitt double cleverly as the brothers’ parents and the shark-like US management.

Edward Hall’s direction is similarly full of energy and movement. The auditorium is cleverly used, with the cast popping up among the audience to great effect, making the huge space at the Playhouse feel more intimate than usual.

a massive miscalculation

However, while the sequence of a flag-waving celebration of England’s 1966 World Cup win in the title song may be a hoot elsewhere on tour; expecting a Scottish audience to join in with cheering it to the rafters comes across as a massive miscalculation.

Miriam Buether’s design is imposing, particularly in the studio decorated with hundreds of speaker cabinets, while Rick Fisher’s lighting is atmospheric. Matt McKenzie’s sound design is notably good.

Apart from the odd lame joke (of the ‘you’d never catch Paul McCartney putting his wife in the band’ variety), the script is witty and well-structured, giving the piece a pleasing flow.

Even if the end result is a little by-the-numbers at times and often lacks genuine excitement, it is still a more than serviceable musical, which any Kinks fan would surely love.

Running time: Two hours and 45 minutes (including one interval)
Edinburgh Playhouse, 18-22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA
Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 May 2026
Tues – Sat at 7.30 pm; Matinee Wed, Fri & Sat at 2.30 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.

Massive miscalculation? The company perform Sunny Afternoon in a scene celebrating Englands 1966 World Cup success. Pic: Manuel Harlan.

Ends

Tags: Danny Horn, Deryn Edwards, Edward Hall, Harry Curley, Hugh Simpson, Joe Penhall, Joseph Richardson, Lisa Wright, Matt McKenzie, Miriam Buether, Musicals, Oliver Hoare, Phil Corbitt, Playhouse, Ray Davies, Review, Rick Fisher, Sonia Friedman Productions, Sunny Afternoon, Tam Williams, Zakarie Stokes