Show: Sunshine on Leith
Society: Sedos
Venue: Bridewell Theatre, Bride Lane, Off Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8EQ
Credits: By STEPHEN GREENHORN. Featuring songs of THE PROCLAIMERS. Created and produced by DUNDEE REP THEATRE.
Type: Sardines
Author: Ned Hopkins
Performance Date: 10/05/2023
Sunshine on Leith
Ned Hopkins | 12 May 2023 13:09pm
Photo: Sedos
The general public may remember Sunshine on Leith from the charming 2013 film originating from the version of the show presented by Dundee Rep in 2007. Born and partly brought up in Edinburgh myself, I have personal bonds with the city and always connect to this tale of the soldiers Davy and Ally who, returning from their stints abroad (originally Afghanistan) have difficulty settling back into everyday life in Auld Reekie.
Last summer I caught the revival at Pitlochry and was interested to see how a London company would relate to the show’s Scottishness. I needn’t have feared, the cast have done a convincing job. The sight of a screen at the back of the stage looked as if we might get projected images of the iconic capital city which would have lent local atmosphere but, though this was not to be, the conscientious cast and wardrobe department had done their homework: the all-important accents seemed secure (indeed some were authentic) and, as kilts appeared with increasing frequency, I began to feel very much at home.
It’s an injustice to dismiss the show as a ‘jukebox’ musical. The infectious, often bouncy score and touching ballads taken from the oeuvre of Craig and Charlie Reid cover a range of popular idioms and could easily be from a traditional musical, with the clever lyrics emerging naturally out of the dialogue to illuminate the thoughts and feelings of the characters. It’s very much a company show too, the voices for many of the songs, even when led by the principals, being nicely distributed amongst the cast. As we’ve come to expect from Sedos, the show is slickly and imaginatively staged by director Sorrel Brown and her chorographer Catherine Higgins. And Oscar Denihan’s musical direction is impeccable. It’s a pity pace is sometimes lost by noisy and cumbersome set adjustments which might have been finessed with a few bars of music and choreography.
There’s good chemistry between the six principals: Adam Richardson’s extrovert Ally, Joe McWilliam’s misunderstood Davy and Ruth Granton as his independently minded sister, Liz; Eilish Mulvihill as her gentler friend Yvonne, and Audrey Lindsay and Gerard Toner-Martin as the older couple Jean and Rab. I liked Lindsay’s cheerful positivity which dissolves into hurt and righteous indignation when her life is turned upside down, and her husband’s quiet, rumpled sincerity. The evolving emotional intensity of all three stories is well handled, and the conviction the actors throw into their roles overcomes the initially soapy plot devices. Though, to be fair, these become heart-breaking as the Jean-Rab story unfolds. I put the occasional loss of vocal attack from some of the actors down to first night nerves (I would have attended the Press Night if that hadn’t fallen on the eve of a train strike) but most of the signing is strong, especially from McWilliam and Richardson.
A small point on apparent anachronisms: no date is given for the action, and recent modifications have tried to align the musical better with the film and political changes over the past ten years, making references to Carol Smillie (no longer a TV presenter) on the one hand and Netflix (if we were still in Afghanistan) on the other, confusing. But that’s no fault of this company.
By chance I came straight to The Bridewell from a matinee of the National Theatre’s excellent production of Dancing at Lughnasa. A different period with different issues, nonetheless both plays touchingly explore family relationships and remind us how, as in life, serious matters can’t always be resolved as tidily as we might like. In Sunshine on Leith it is suggested that the remaining estranged couple will also, eventually be reunited, but we’re only too aware of the challenges all three relationships face once the curtain comes down. A sign then of the quality of both plays that one leaves the theatre concerned for and discussing the future lives of the characters you’ve come to care for over the past three hours. I spent a marvellous, thought-provoking day with two tremendous casts.
It is to be hoped this first London outing for such a great musical, dealing as it does with universal themes that resonate beyond its Scottish setting, may inspire many more companies to present it throughout the UK and beyond.