When ‘You Really Got Me’ exploded on Swinging London in 1964, the Kinks forever changed the course of rock ’n’ roll. Ray Davies and Joe Penhall’s Olivier Award-winning Sunny Afternoon (2014) covers the band’s formative years of 1964–7, when four working- class North London lads broke through to become one of the most unlikely and influential rock bands of the 1960s. Mixing the comic adventures of ‘Dave the Rave’ with the touching introspection of Ray’s sometimes fragile psyche, Joe Penhall’s script weaves Ray Davies’ songs, both the hits and lesser-known works, into one of the finest jukebox musicals of the new millennium.
Drawing on a wealth of background material, John Fleming examines the blend of events and songs selected, reconsidering the relationship between biography and drama to shed new light on the Kinks and the musical that tells their story.