Theater

Raw rock: CST’s ‘Sunny Afternoon’ affirms Ray Davies’ genius, Kinks’ enduring influence

Posted April 02, 2025 4:24 pm

Danny Horn (as Ray Davies), from left, Oliver Hoare (as Dave Davies), Kieran McCabe (as Mick Avory) and Michael Lepore (as Peter Quaife) play 1960s Brit-rockers The Kinks in Chicago Shakespeare’s Theater's North American premiere of the jukebox tuner “Sunny Afternoon.” Courtesy of Carol Rosegg

“Sunny Afternoon” — 3 stars

The folks at Chicago Shakespeare Theater are nothing if not considerate. On opening night of “Sunny Afternoon,” the jukebox musical about 1960s Brit-rockers The Kinks, they thoughtfully provided ear plugs.

And while I understand the importance of protecting one’s hearing (and urge everyone to do so), for me, muffling The Kinks' raw rock 'n' roll with its deliciously distorted lead guitar would have been unthinkable. Fortunately, this zestfully performed, zealously embraced show about the early days of the seminal British Invasion band is neither ear-shattering nor earthshaking.

It is, however, hugely entertaining. Moreover, it reaffirms the skill of Kinks' frontman and primary songwriter Ray Davies, whose vivid, keenly observed lyrics, wit and flair for simple, insistent hooks evidence his expertise. For that reason alone, “Sunny Afternoon,” named after The Kinks' 1966 hit, is worth seeing.

Director Edward Hall's kinetic production stars an exceptional quartet of singer/actor/musicians led by charismatic, ideally cast principals Danny Horn, fervent and vulnerable as the pensive, socially conscious songsmith Ray Davies, and Oliver Hoare, effortlessly charming as his impulsive, hedonistic younger brother Dave. Reprising their roles from London’s West End production, Horn and Hoare are ably accompanied by Michael Lepore as bassist Peter Quaife and Kieran McCabe as drummer Mick Avory.

The North American premiere of “Sunny Afternoon,” a zestfully performed, zealously received bio-tuner about the early days of British Invasion stalwarts The Kinks and helmed by Chicago Shakespeare Theater artistic director Edward Hall, runs through April 27 at the Navy Pier theater. Courtesy of Carol Rosegg

The show premiered in 2014 in London with Hall as director. It moved to the West End in 2015 and ran there several years before embarking on a U.K. tour. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed a second tour. Chicago Shakespeare Theater's revival, also under Hall, who took over as CST's artistic director in 2023, marks the musical's North American premiere.

Set during the early to late 1960s, the action unfolds against towering stacks of amplifiers — a visual representation of a wall of sound — courtesy of Miriam Buether, who also designed the fab costumes. The amplifiers are missing grill covers, a nod perhaps to band members' penchant for no-frills rock 'n' roll and refusal to soften their sound.

The tuner tells a familiar tale: impassioned working-class lads from suburban London form a band and enjoy modest success, attracting the attention of would-be managers who sign the naive musicians to onerous contracts then urge them to compromise their musical vision for the sake of commercial success. The lads resist. Success and fame follow, accompanied by booze, drugs and women. Pressure mounts. Exhaustion sets in. Squabbles ensue and departures result.

Oliver Hoare, front, plays outrageous and charming Dave Davies and Danny Horn, upstage, plays his older brother Ray Davies in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of The Kinks bio-tuner “Sunny Afternoon,” directed by CST artistic director Edward Hall. Courtesy of Carol Rosegg

And all of it is accompanied by a score ranging from gruff, guitar-driven rockers (“All Day and All of the Night,” “You Really Got Me”) to cheeky music hall-style tunes (“A Well Respected Man,” “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”) to the wistful ballads that dominate the second act, including a lovely a cappella version of “Days” and a masterfully crafted “Waterloo Sunset” (more about that later).

Book writer Joe Penhall (working from a story by Ray Davies) pens some poignant moments, droll ones too. But the story feels sanitized. The internal battles that tested the band — sibling squabbles and other disputes, Ray Davies' bouts with depression — skim the surface.

Danny Horn, left, who played Kinks frontman and songwriter Ray Davies in the London production of the jukebox tuner “Sunny Afternoon,” reprises the role in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's North American premiere, which co-stars Ana Margaret Marcu as Ray's wife, Rasa. Courtesy of Carol Rosegg

Characters, including Ray Davies' young bride Rasa (Ana Margaret Marcu) and the Davies' parents, Fred (John Carlin) and Annie (Marya Grandy), are underwritten. Introduced as a cool girl quipster who impresses Ray with her blues knowledge (she knows who Big Bill Broonzy is), Rasa disappears for half the second act then returns as an overwhelmed new mother with an absent husband. Carlin and Grandy's characters exist mostly to express unwavering support for their sons and deliver platitudes: never give up, never back down, never forget who you are.

Sean Fortunato, Will Leonard and Ben Mayn play amiably manipulative managers, and Joseph Papke plays the music publisher who secures for himself 51% of the band's song royalties. While the comic acting is solid, the characters are almost indistinguishable.

Hall keeps the first act moving, but the show loses momentum in the second, which includes a well-played drum solo by McCabe that in no way advances the narrative and the unfortunately placed penultimate number “Waterloo Sunset.” A lovely ode to the creative process, it's “Sunny Afternoon's” emotional high point, yet feels like an afterthought on the way to the highly anticipated coda reprising “All Day and All of the Night,” “You Really Got Me and “Lola,” the groundbreaking Kinks song which the show teases (through dialogue, riffs and costumes) but fails to fully examine.

Ah well, a few missteps don't matter much when the music's this magnificent.

••••

“Sunny Afternoon”

Location: Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, (312) 595-5600, chicagoshakes.com

Showtimes: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday through April 27

Running time: About 2 hours, 40 minutes, with intermission

Tickets: $59-$135

Parking: $22 in the Navy Pier garage with CST validation

Rating: For teens and older, contains adult language, sexual content

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