Jocasta Almgill, Steven Miller, Paul-James Corrigan and Neshla Caplan. Picture: Manuel Harlan
Sunshine on Leith continues at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds until 19 May 2018, and then tours until 30 June 2018.
Star rating: five stars ★★★★★
Musical theatre audiences do not often encounter lines like:
“What do you do when democracy fails you?
What do you do when ‘minority’ means you?”
This is not to suggest that Sunshine on Leith is an evening of political theatre, but the show is an assertive account of a number of themes that are close to the hearts of Craig and Charlie Reid.
One of the characteristics I have always admired about The Proclaimers, as I have with Ian Dury and Madness, is the refusal to be anything other than what they are. There is no pretence that they are from the Mississippi Delta. They are Scottish and there’s an end of it.
From that starting point, writer Stephen Greenhorn uses their songs to explore contemporary issues such as the decline of industrial Britain and universal ones such as belonging, love and betrayal.
Three couples alternate, successively taking centre stage. The opening bromance of Ally (Paul-James Corrigan) and Davy (Steven Miller) soon gives way to courtship as they encounter Yvonne (Jocasta Almgill) and Liz, Davy’s sister (Neshla Caplan).
Complementing young love are Rab (the excellent Phil McKee) and Jean (Hilary Maclean), husband and wife of 30 years. Their relationship is threatened when a daughter by a casual relationship suddenly turns up in Rab’s life.
As the narrative unfolds, there is considerable symmetry between the three couples: as one pair succeeds, a second falls apart and Rab and Jean work out what to make of a diminished thing.
The singing is excellent throughout the ensemble. Miller unleashes a high tenor voice that put me in mind of Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge. Opposite, and matching him, Almgill convincingly portrays a young woman torn by love and duty, eventually finding balance in her life and emotions.
This is a very young cast and they bring the energy and commitment that would beguile any audience. Choreographer Emily-Jane Boyle is able to use that enthusiasm to drive dance routines that only occasionally make demands for technical proficiency, but are nevertheless highly effective.
The seven piece band (musical director Toby Higgins) is supplemented by a number of cast members, collectively making the most of The Proclaimers’ music. Naturally, the biggest hits (‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’; ‘Letter from America’) are reserved for the rousing finale.
Perhaps Greenhorn’s most astonishing achievement lies in devising a musical that feels fully integrated. If you did not know it, you would think that the songs had been written to match the script. There is never a sense that a song has been shoe-horned in simply because it is too good to leave out and the audience expects it. Contrast this with other jukebox musicals one could name.
Director James Brining pulls off one of his typically slick feats of technical prowess. Scene changes are smooth and unobtrusive; pools of light (designed by Tim Mitchell) shift us from location to location; a flat revolves to reveal a fully equipped bar. Set and costume designer Colin Richmond clearly takes some credit here too.
Brining was in at the birth of the show in 2003 when he was artistic director at Dundee Rep and has seen it through a number of incarnations since. I think it would be no exaggeration to say that he feels the fondness of a parent for his progeny.
Mike Tilling
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