Sunny Afternoon review, Harold Pinter Theatre ★★★★★

How did two brothers from Muswell Hill go on to form one of Britain’s most iconic bands? That is the question underpinning Ray Davies’ autobiographical musical Sunny Afternoon.

Lead singer and songwriter for The Kinks – who helped define their era and went on to influence generations of younger musicians with songs like You Really Got Me and Waterloo Sunset – Davies explores the band’s highs and lows against a backdrop of the conservative 1950s and swinging '60s.

Edward Hall, the artistic director of the Hampstead Theatre, has created a production that taps into the spirit of the era, and has audiences up from their seats, dancing and singing along.

The book is written by Joe Penhall, who is also behind the film adaptations of Enduring Love and The Road, as well as the Olivier award-winning play Blue/Orange . And, unlike some lesser jukebox musicals, Sunny Afternoon also has a moving, illuminating story along with the hit songs.

One might be forgiven for fearing that a musical written by Ray Davies about Ray Davies could very rapidly become self-indulgent. But there's plenty of charm and honesty in this behind-the-scenes story of brotherly bonds and hit songs. And, with a whopping four Olivier Awards, critics are as enthusiastic as audiences.

Principal cast members John Dagleish (Ray Davies), George Maguire (Dave Davies), Ned Derrington (Pete Quaife) and Adam Sopp (Mick Avoy) raked in the praise since the show premiered at the Hampstead.

Now there is a fresh new cast: smouldering film and TV actor Danny Horn (Doctor Who; The Dead Dogs) leads as Ray Davies. We can't wait to see if he will live up to the strong precedent set by Olivier-winning Dagliesh.