Sunshine on Leith the Musical

For their first post-pandemic production the company chose Stephen Greenhorn’s modern Scottish classic featuring the songs of The Proclaimers. The script now sets the action in and around Leith in 2019 so there were plenty of references to public figures and events which the audience recognised and reacted to. The story being about the return of two young men to civilian life, and their friends and family, after a period in the army and how they adjust (or not) also resonated strongly with the full house audience many of whom probably experienced similar feelings if they had spent a period away from the Islands (say at University on the mainland) and then returned. The two young men playing the returning soldiers Davy (Sean Young) and Ally (Rajmund Olah) were first class - with strong singing voices and good acting skills. Their portrayal of the strong bond that grows between military comrades was spot on. They were equally matched by the young women in their lives – Liz (Isla Flett) who doesn’t want to settle with Ally but to see more of the world and Yvonne (Amy Bilcliffe) who wants to settle but is afraid to commit to Davy after having been hurt in a previous relationship. The couples duets – Make My Heart Fly (Ally and Liz) and Then I Met You (Davy and Yvonne) were beautifully delivered. Davy and Liz’s parents Rab (Graham Garson) and Jean (Kirsti Jones) were another strong pairing portraying the typical working class marriage to perfection – sniping at each other and arguing fiercely – but bolstered by a deep seated love as shown in Rab’s rendition of “Oh Jean” at their anniversary party and Jean’s emotional rendition of “Sunshine on Leith” as she holds his hand in hospital after his heart attack. Strong support was given by Savannah Sutherland as Eilidh, Rab’s illegitimate daughter. The ensemble too were in fine form in the company numbers like the drunken “Over and Done With”, Jean’s cleaner colleagues in the hilarious “Should Have Been Loved” and the rousing finale “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)”. The seven piece orchestra under the baton of Michael Bell played the varied genres of music with consummate ease – supporting but never overpowering the singers. The set was simple and effective allowing the changes between the 40 scenes to be carried out seamlessly. Well done everyone at KAOS on an excellent production.

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