Sunny Afternoon Comes Out On Top At 2015 Olivier Awards
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Jacob Porteous
New hit British musical Sunny Afternoon was the best performing show at the 2015 Olivier Awards, winning four awards. The production won Best New Musical, John Dagleish won Best Actor in a Musical, George Maguire won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, and Ray Davies of The Kinks won for Outstanding Achievement in Music.
Sunny Afternoon is currently booking until 24 October 2015, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London.
John Dagleish and George Maguire play Ray Davies and Dave Davies of The Kinks respectively, alongside Ned Derrington as Pete Quaife and Adam Sopp as Mick Avory, who complete the band.
Sunny Afternoon is directed by Edward Hall, with a book by Joe Penhall, and music and lyrics by Ray Davies.
Full cast: Carly Anderson, Jason Baughan, Philip Bird, John Dagleish, Ned Derrington, Lillie Flynn, Emily Goodenough, Elizabeth Hill, Vince Leigh, George Maguire, Amy Ross, Jo Servi, Adam Sopp, Dominic Tighe and Tam Williams.
Fifty years ago, The Kinks were sitting at Number One in the UK charts with their fifth single ‘Tired of Waiting For You’. The band’s popularity has not faded since the 1960s, with crowds of all ages filling the Harold Pinter Theatre night after night.
Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including 'You Really Got Me', 'Waterloo Sunset' and 'Lola', Sunny Afternoon marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s rise to fame.
Following a sold-out run at Hampstead Theatre, this world premiere production, with music and lyrics by Ray Davies, new book by Joe Penhall, original story by Ray Davies, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether and choreography by Adam Cooper, opened at the Harold Pinter theatre on 28 October 2014. Lighting is by Rick Fisher, sound by Matt McKenzie and the Musical Supervisor and Musical Director is Elliott Ware.
Sunny Afternoon Reviews:
★★★★★ 'A Blazing Triumph. I Swear You’ll Get Goosebumps' Telegraph
★★★★★ 'Stormingly Successful. I Defy Anyone to Resist It' Financial Times
★★★★★ 'Kick-Ass. Indisputably Terrific' The Times
★★★★★ 'It’s a guitar-riffing, amp-smashing drum-whacker of a night' Daily Mail
★★★★★ 'A Dazzling Production. A Heady Celebration of Quintessentially English Talent' The Guardian
Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre and are Britain’s most prestigious stage honours.
Sonia Friedman Productions commissioned Joe Penhall in 2011 to write the book based on Ray Davies’s original story. The company developed the production over the next four years, assembling the creative team and cast that presented Sunny Afternoon last year at Hampstead Theatre under the direction of Edward Hall, and now at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
Ray Davies is an influential and prolific rock musician and was co-founder and lead singer and songwriter for rock band The Kinks, and later a solo artist. He has an outstanding catalogue of hits from the earliest 1960s to the present day with estimated record sales in excess of 50 million. He has also acted, directed and produced shows for theatre and television.
Joe Penhall is an award winning playwright and screenwriter. Plays include Some Voices (Royal Court), Blue/Orange (National Theatre and West End), winner of Best New Play at the Evening Standard Awards, Olivier Awards and at the Critics Circle, and Dumb Show, Haunted Child and Birthday (all Royal Court). Screenplays include Enduring Love and The Road.
As Artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre, Edward Hall’s productions include Wonderland, Sunny Afternoon, Raving, Chariots of Fire, No Naughty Bits, Loyalty and Enlightenment. As Artistic Director of Propeller, his work has toured worldwide, played the West End and Broadway and has won numerous awards both in the UK and overseas. Other theatre work includes A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (National Theatre), Edmond with Kenneth Branagh (National Theatre), Macbeth with Sean Bean (Albery), The Constant Wife (Apollo), Julius Caesar (RSC), Henry V (RSC) and The Deep Blue Sea (Vaudeville). Television work includes Downton Abbey, Spooks and Kingdom. Edward is an Associate of the National Theatre and the Old Vic.
Snap up your Sunny Afternoon tickets now!