Sunshine on Leith

The good folk of Todmorden came up trumps again with their production of ’Sunshine on Leith’, the musical put together from the music of the Proclaimers. Refreshingly, the musical concentrates on the quotidian: the simple complexities (or should that be the complex simplicities?) of ordinary life, relationships, work and family issues, set in in contemporary Scotland. Best pals Ally and Davy are back from soldiering to pursue love, life and happiness back in Leith, navigating family complications, the ups and downs of relationships and all the daily dramas common to everyone. Let me get gripe number one out of the way nice and early… I thought that the fairly simple narrative was perhaps tailored a little too much in the direction of being able to shoehorn in the tunes, rather than the music, lyrics and book coming together to make for a harmonious whole: I shan’t use the phrase ‘cobbled together’ but you see what I mean. That’s a problem of the show rather than this fine production however, so let us continue.

For a show set North of the border, I have to say that the accents on display across the cast and throughout the show were superb. All the cast were fully committed to this theatrical project and it was a joy to see such enthusiasm and energy on stage from curtain up to standing ovation: this isn’t the euphemistic use of the word ‘enthusiasm’ (meaning ‘bless them, they tried’) but rather, a way of praising the professionalism of the entire cast from top to bottom. Everyone on stage was in top gear throughout and the whole team is to be praised for creating such a positive atmosphere. The way the narrative was expressed was first rate and the plot was clearly put across: projection, diction, Scottish accents, characterisations, performances… all coming together to drive the production forward. Storytelling through song was also managed extremely well and the big musical numbers came across with conviction. 

This was also a very good looking production stage-wise. Scenery and staging was perfectly suited to both the overall feel of the piece and the Hippodrome stage, allowing for speedy scene changes which didn’t disrupt the flow, with carefully considered and subtle lighting to complement the overall feel (great work Tom!) From the opening and throughout the show, this production was so obviously a friendly team effort from all concerned that every aspect of the evening’s entertainment came over as a thoughtful, communal piece of work. This was a show where everyone on stage and off had clearly made this production a labour of love. 

Directorial decisions were spot on throughout and made for a piece which flowed seamlessly from the opening: this was clearly a happy production and this can only be achieved when the director understands her cast and can inspire the whole team to work together. MD Helen Clarkson similarly inspired great things from the cast and orchestra and there was a perfect balance of sound throughout. I have to say that my unfamiliarity with the songs of the Proclaimers meant that I missed the odd lyric here and there but as the songs often only had a tangential connection to the plot, it didn’t seem to matter too much. Lisa Parker’s choreography was skilfully executed and provided for many lively moments. I did perhaps think that there was a tendency to ‘over-choreograph’ at certain points (there seemed to be an urge to turn everything into a Proclaimers knees-up wherever possible) but at least the movement on stage was appropriate to the piece - realistic and unfussy - rather than tipping into showbiz showing off. It was also impressive to see a truly committed cast really throwing themselves into the musical numbers in such a professional fashion.

Davy (Rick Whyte) and Ally (Joe Marsden) made for a great pairing and connected with the audience immediately: faultless Scottish accents and an easy, matey likeability endeared the pair to everyone. Rick’s more ‘stagey’ performance contrasted well with Joe’s more grounded and realistic approach and their different characterisations worked very well to differentiate the two ex-soldiers. Solid vocal work from both of our leading men also made the characters come to life and they made for good company, leading the ensemble well and carrying the audience with them throughout their ups and downs in Leith. 

Yvonne (Alexandra Townend) and Liz (Louise Whyte) were two similarly well drawn characters who, like the chaps, were good company throughout the production. Both pairings - Alexandra and Rick; Liz and Joe -  were well matched and believable couples and the strength and confidence of their performances held the stage in a formidable fashion. Great vocal work across the board too. Rachel Rogers and John Spooner excelled as mum and dad, Jean and Rab, again, bringing a confident realism to the roles, characterisations which helped to really make the most of the fairly thin plot. John’s down to earth take on Rab was a tonic and Rachel gave the standout performance of the night for me as Jean.

’Sunshine on Leith’ is an odd little show: nothing in the way of any grand themes on an operatic - or even a stage musical - scale and in some ways, it reminds me of ‘Blood Brothers’ in that the straightforward plot could have worked equally well with or the without the musical score. The music and lyrics of the Proclaimers only occasionally has much to say as part of the narrative and more often than not, feels shoehorned in (rather in the manner of a tribute act or a karaoke pub singalong.) The pub scenes obviously benefitted from this, along with the call centre scene (a very well-handled and very funny interlude at Todmorden) but all too often, the musical numbers felt like diversions from the story rather than an integral part of it. Notable exceptions to this grumble of mine however were ‘Hate My Love’ and ’Sunshine on Leith’: both superbly staged and sung with real feeling. It also has to be said that all the cast sang with skill and with heart, really connecting with the text and the lyrics, rather than merely ‘performing’ the musical numbers for the sake of singing something and dancing about for a bit. Unfortunately however, as the music has a life of its own apart from (and with no connection to) the plot which has been constructed around it, the music was all a little too ‘samey’ and one-note and became tiresome pretty quickly. Each little pop song from the Proclaimers is jolly enough on its own but to me, they did’t add up to a coherent whole when bundled together and stapled to a simple story. That isn’t to say that this production worked wonders to overcome these shortcomings and despite the material, crafted a strong and heartfelt evening’s entertainment. 

This was a production of real strength and quality where everyone involved was clearly firing on all cylinders.  Staging was superb, music was handled with care and attention, characterisations were faultless and the sheer commitment from every single member of the cast - and crew - was a pleasure to see. Each little cameo role, bit-part and incidental character was treated with care and solidly expressed. Given the fact that all too often these days, audiences seem to have taken it upon themselves to join in with songs willy-nilly (is this a result of the lack of social interaction during lockdown, or simply a reflection of the obvious downward plummeting of social and cultural mores which has set in of late and is dissolving our previous natural tendency to civility and good manners?) it was handy that this production gave ample opportunity to the clap-along and singalong brigade to disport themselves in the bouncy finale. ‘Sold Out’ signs and a standing ovation speak for themselves.

My thanks go to everyone at the Hippodrome for a first class evening’s entertainment. The theatre - and everyone involved - is an important cultural hub of many years standing in District 3 and it is always a pleasure to attend: it’s also exciting to see that plans are afoot for further expansion. I wish you all well and look forward to your next production.   

 

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