Sunny Afternoon
Sunny Afternoon is a hit musical that first graced the stage on 1 May 2014 at the Hampstead Theatre. The musical includes lyrics and music from Ray Davies and is based off of a book by Joe Penhall. The Kinks, an English rock band, is the basis for the play.
Songs from The Kinks are featured in the musical with the main hits, including: “Lola” and “You Really Got Me.” The Kinks’ “Sunny Afternoon” is also a part of the musical and is the basis for the musical’s name.
The musical is set in a time of social and political change in the 60s. The music featured has a lot of experimentation in the sound, with the initial failure of the ground as well as major success after Dave Davies’ older brother wrote “You Really Got Me.”
The song boosted the band’s popularity, shooting them to the top of the UK charts.
Success quickly followed for The Kinks, with several of their next releases being major hits. The musical encompasses the life and passion of the band and even goes into intimate details of their lives. There is a bit of sibling rivalry, which is perfectly portrayed in the musical.
There is also the death of the brothers’ sister and the heartache that follows a doomed marriage.
The musical is broken down into two main Acts.
The production has done very well with the honor of being awarded the 2015 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Several of the show’s actors also won awards during the 2015 production. The musical also won the Outstanding Achievement in Music award.
The show’s theatre performance has drawn interest for a movie adaptation. The screenplay is slated to be written by Joe Penhall, while Dexter Fletcher is being tapped as the movie’s director.
Musical genius at its best, fans of The Kinks will discover a rich history behind the band. You’ll learn how the band found their iconic sound. A live performance is also demonstrated. The band’s name also is explained in the show, with fans learning every intricate detail behind the rise of The Kinks.
You’ll even uncover what happened during the band’s American tour.
And the musical also goes into the band’s comeback that helped solidify their name in music history. Sunny Afternoon is as much of a musical as it is a story of passion, music and the will of the band to become music icons no matter the struggles.