On 13 December 2013, it was officially confirmed that a musical based around the early life of Ray Davies and the formation of the band The Kinks would receive its world premiere at the Hampstead Theatre in spring 2014. The musical was 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 is 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
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 2014. 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. The musical closed on October 29, 2016. On 14 November 2014, the cast appeared on the BBC'sChildren In Need, closing the show. After closing down in the West End, the production embarked on its first UK and Ireland Tour, through to May 2017 ending in Belfast. A typical performance runs two hours and 45 minutes, including one interval.
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 guitaristDave 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.
"All Day and All of the Night/You Really Got Me/Lola"
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 featuring 29 songs, was released on 27 October via BMG Chrysalis.
