Review: Sunny Afternoon: The Kinks Musical at Curve Leicester is incredible ★★★★★
Sunny Afternoon: The Kinks Musical is at Curve Leicester until Saturday 25 April, 2026.
Jukebox musicals are all the range. There’s one with Steps songs, one with Michael Jackson songs, one with Take That songs, one with Madness songs.... you get the gist. So when we heard there was one wit The Kinks songs, our first thought was ‘do we really need this?’.
Well any doubtful thoughts were blown away in about 2 minutes of SUNNY AFTERNOON starting. This musical is one of the best musicals we’ve EVER Seen. And boy have we seen some.
We’re not joking. The performances, the charactarisation, the storyline, the humour, and most of all the songs... all come together in the most exceptional, feel good production going. Our hearts were full after seeing this outstanding production.
The songs absolutely burst. It’s magical. The audience at Curve Leicester were clearly mostly here because they enjoyed The Kinks and their heir-day, and for them, this was absolute magic. Shouts of “we want to see it again tomorrow” could be heard, it’s that good.
“Waterloo Sunset” is performed so incredibly well, its moving. “Sunny Afternoon” is so good, you don’t want it to stop. Everyone is singing, dancing, remoniscing.
There’s a fear with this kind of musical that the storyline is going to be as thin as tissue, but The Kinks story is a fascinating one, with highs and lows, tragedies, comedy, love, challenges... there’s a lot to unpack and it means the story is capitvating both for die-hard fans of The Kinks and those who just love a bloody good musical.
Following a phenomenal two years in the West End and a sensational first UK and Ireland tour, the “indisputably terrific” (The Times) OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING BEST NEW MUSICAL, charting the euphoric highs and agonizing lows of THE KINKS, is back!
SUNNY AFTERNOON celebrates the raw energy, passion, and timeless sound of one of Britain’s most iconic bands, telling their story through an incredible back catalogue of chart-toppers, including “You Really Got Me,” “Lola,” and “All Day and All of the Night.”
Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious ’60s, Sunny Afternoon is an “exhilarating” (Financial Times) and moving celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all.
SUNNY AFTERNOON features music and lyrics by the legendary Ray Davies, a book by Joe Penhall, original story by Ray Davies, and direction by Edward Hall.
Rating: ★★★★★
Sunny Afternoon plays at Curve Leicester, just an hour and a half away from London, until Saturday 25 April.