# Sunny Afternoon (musical)

Sunny Afternoon is a jukebox musical with music and lyrics by Ray Davies and a book by Joe Penhall. Based on the formation and career of the English rock band The Kinks, the musical was commissioned and produced by Sonia Friedman and made its world premiere in 2014 at the Hampstead Theatre, London, before transferring to the West End's Harold Pinter Theatre. Featuring songs by The Kinks, Sunny Afternoon includes their hits such as "Lola", "Waterloo Sunset", "You Really Got Me", and the musical's title song, "Sunny Afternoon".

## Background

On 13 December 2013, producer Sonia Friedman officially confirmed that a musical based around the early life of Ray Davies and the formation of The Kinks would receive its world premiere at the Hampstead Theatre in spring 2014. The musical is named after the band's 1966 hit single "Sunny Afternoon" and features songs from the band's back catalogue. The musical has a book by Joe Penhall and was directed by Edward Hall, with choreography by Adam Cooper, set and costume design by Miriam Buether, lighting design by Rick Fisher, sound design by Matt McKenzie, and musical direction by Elliott Ware.

## Production history
### Original London production (2014-16)

The show's premiere production began previews at the Hampstead Theatre in London on 14 April 2014, with its official opening night on 1 May, booking for a limited run until 24 May 2014.
In late June, it was confirmed that the production would transfer to the West End, beginning previews at the Harold Pinter Theatre on 4 October, with an official opening night on 28 October. Tickets for the transfer went on sale on 30 June. Shortly after beginning previews the show extended booking to January, before quickly announcing another extension to 23 May 2015. On 14 November 2014, the cast appeared on the BBC's Children In Need, closing the show. The musical closed on 29 October 2016.
A typical performance runs two hours and 45 minutes, including one interval.

### UK and Ireland tour (2016-17)

The production embarked on its first UK and Ireland tour opening at the Manchester Opera House in August 2016 ending at the Grand Opera House, Belfast in June 2017.
A second UK and Ireland tour was due to open again at the Manchester Opera House in August 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Synopsis

The semi-biographical story is set against the background of political and social change of the 1960s. The musical examines the early years of the Muswell Hill, London-based group The Kinks. After initial failure, the band's lead guitarist Dave Davies experimented and created a distorted power chord sound on the group's third single, "You Really Got Me". The song, written by Dave's older brother Ray, went to No 1 in the UK charts and preceded a string of hits. Woven into the musical are the themes of the Davies brothers' sibling rivalry, management problems, their sister's untimely death, Ray's doomed marriage, and their subsequent banning from the United States following a dispute with the musicians' union.

## Music
### Recordings

On 21 October 2014, four preview tracks from the album, "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", "Dead End Street", "Too Much On My Mind/Tired of Waiting" and the show's title song "Sunny Afternoon" were released via SoundCloud. Recorded at London's Konk Studio's, which was established by The Kinks, the album of 29 songs was released on 27 October via BMG Chrysalis.

## Principal roles and original cast

| Character | Hampstead | West End | West End | UK and Ireland Tour |
| Character | 2014 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Ray Davies | John Dagleish | John Dagleish | Danny Horn | Ryan O'Donnell |
| Dave Davies | George Maguire | George Maguire | Oliver Hoare | Mark Newnham |
| Pete Quaife | Ned Derrington | Ned Derrington | Tom Whitelock | Garmon Rhys |
| Mick Avory | Adam Sopp | Adam Sopp | Damien Walsh | Andrew Gallo |
| Mr Davies/Allen Klein | Philip Bird | Philip Bird | — | Robert Took |
| Mrs Davies/Marsha | Helen Hobson | Elizabeth Hill | — | Deryn Edwards |
| Larry Page | Vince Leigh | Vince Leigh | — | Richard Hurst |
| Eddie Kassner | Ben Caplan | Ben Caplan | — | Michael Warburton |
| Rasa | Lillie Flynn | Lillie Flynn | — | Lisa Wright |
| Gregory Piven | Marvin Springer | Ashley Campbell | — | Nathanael Campbell |
| Robert Wace | Dominic Tighe | Dominic Tighe | — | Joseph Richardson |
| Greenville Collins | Tam Williams | Tam Williams | — | Tomm Coles |
| Gwen | Carly Anderson | Carly Anderson | — | Victoria Anderson |
| Peggy | Emily Goodenough | Emily Goodenough | — | Libby Watts |
| Joyce | Amy Ross | Amy Ross | — | Sophie Leigh-Griffin |
| Alternate Ray | — | James Hudson | — |

## Awards and nominations
### Original London production

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2014 | Evening Standard Awards | Ned Sherrin Award For Best Musical | Ned Sherrin Award For Best Musical | Nominated |
| 2014 | Evening Standard Awards | Emerging Talent Award | John Dagleish | Nominated |
| 2015 | Whatsonstage.com Awards | Best New Musical | Best New Musical | Nominated |
| 2015 | Whatsonstage.com Awards | Best Supporting Actor In A Musical | George Maguire | Nominated |
| 2015 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best New Musical | Best New Musical | Won |
| 2015 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Actor in a Musical | John Dagleish | Won |
| 2015 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | George Maguire | Won |
| 2015 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Sound Design | Matt McKenzie | Nominated |
| 2015 | Laurence Olivier Award | Outstanding Achievement in Music | Ray Davies | Won |