A Sunny Afternoon Review on Why The Kinks’ Story Still Hits Home
Last night I finally saw Sunny Afternoon, and it was one of those evenings that stays with you long after the curtain call. My wife Kasia bought me the tickets for my birthday, and in a move that already felt cinematic, we flew from Los Angeles on my birthday just to be here to see this show. I could not imagine a more perfect gift.
For me, this story runs deep. I first saw The Kinks with The Truth at Guildford Civic in 1982. It was one of the first gigs I ever went to. I pushed my way right to the front of the stage, probably the youngest person there, wide eyed and utterly transfixed. At one point Dave Davies spotted me, leaned down, and handed me his plectrum, a big triangular Gibson pick. It was one of the greatest moments of my young life, and in many ways it lit the fuse for everything that followed.
Sunny Afternoon captures that same spark brilliantly. It tells the story of Ray Davies and the band’s early struggle to break into the industry, the excitement, the confusion, the clashes of personality, and the brutal realities of being in a band just as success arrives. It does not romanticise the grind. It shows what it is really like to be young, ambitious, and suddenly famous, while still trying to be a son, a brother, and in Ray’s case, a young father heading off on exhausting US tours.
Those American chapters are especially powerful. The show leans into the frustration, the bans, the bad deals, and the emotional toll of being far from home, while never losing sight of the humour and resilience that made the band who they were. What comes through again and again is their fierce attachment to their working class roots, a sense of identity that never wavered even as the world started paying attention.
That makes the setting feel beautifully symbolic. Staging this story at Alexandra Palace, or Ally Pally as we all know it, conceived as the “People’s Palace”, feels entirely right. This is music of, and for, ordinary people, told in a place built with exactly that spirit in mind.
The company is uniformly strong, anchored by Danny Horn as Ray Davies and Oliver Hoare as Dave Davies, both capturing the push and pull of brotherhood with conviction and real musical bite. Harry Curley brings a grounded warmth to Pete Quaife, while Zakarie Stokes gives Mick Avory a driving presence that keeps the band’s momentum alive. Around them, the supporting cast adds texture and humanity, with Ben Caplan as Eddie Kassner and Joseph Richardson as Robert Wace shaping the industry pressures that surround the band, Alasdair Craig cutting a sharp figure as Larry Page, and Tam Williams authoritative as Grenville Collins. The ensemble shines throughout, led by Victoria Anderson, who also serves as Dance Captain, alongside Deryn Edwards, Emily Whitby-Samways, Lisa Wright, Jada Langley, James Chisholm, and Phil Corbitt, all of whom help the production move effortlessly between raw gig energy and intimate domestic moments, giving the story its emotional weight and lift.
The ensemble deserves enormous credit. Every member sings, plays multiple instruments, and many take on multiple roles, creating a constantly shifting, high energy production that never feels forced. It feels alive, communal, and honest. And of course, the songs. Hearing that catalogue woven so naturally into the story is nothing short of thrilling. Each one lands with emotional weight, not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, but because the context makes you hear them anew.
Walking out afterwards, I felt grateful. Grateful for Kasia’s thoughtfulness, grateful for being able to revisit such a formative part of my life, and grateful that this music, these stories, and this very British blend of grit, wit, and heart are still being celebrated so vividly.
Sunny Afternoon is not just a musical. It is a reminder of why this music mattered then, why it still matters now, and why a kid pressed against the barrier in 1982 could go home clutching a Gibson pick and dreaming of a life in music.
The show is touring through May, and if it comes anywhere near you, do yourself a favour and go and see it. Tour dates and tickets here: https://uk.thekinksmusical.com/#tours
