Review: Sunshine on Leith, at Dundee Rep
Pipes, Pippin and the Proclaimers drew a bedraggled crowd to Dundee Rep, desperate for a ray of Sunshine on Leith.
- By Katie Smyth
- Published in the Courier : 09.09.10
- Published online : 09.09.10 @ 07.10pm
Pipers braved driving rain at the theatre door to set the tone for this thoroughly Scottish musical created by River City writer Stephen Greenhorn and Rep artistic director James Brining.
Inside the auditorium the pipes dissipated as six soldiers under siege took up position in a desperate desert war zone.
One rousing choreographed number and a quick change into civvies later, the scene transposed to the bustling Leith Walk, complete with Hibees headlines.
Sunshine on Leith follows the story of soldiers Davy and Ally, played by Billy Boyd and Michael Moreland, as they return home from a tour of duty to Leith, not Edinburgh — "a small but important distinction."
After a heart-warming homecoming the pair are thrust back into the throes of work, the pub and love.
For Ally there is the challenge of picking up where he left off with long-term girlfriend Liz, Davy's sister.
Davy, meanwhile, struggles through a first fling with commitment-phobe Yvonne, a headstrong English nurse convinced all Scottish men are "emotionally retarded."
Both relationships are set against the backdrop of Davy's parents' 30th anniversary, an event tinged with promise and heartache.
Neil Warmington's earthy set, trapped between the solid sandstone terraces flanking the stage exacerbates the sense of the characters' struggles and inertia.
While Boyd may have drawn the crowds, the true star of Sunshine on Leith has to be the Rep ensemble's John Buick, who plays Davy's father Rab.
Stuck at home "on the sick," Rab's pithy one-liners and hangdog humour carry the show as he and Boyd lead the cast through a toe-tapping repertoire, including Letter From America, Oh! Jean and, of course, I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles).
Illness prevented another Rep favourite, Ann Louise Ross, from reprising the role of Jean, but Anne Smith stepped up to the job admirably.
Brining set out to create a musical about and for Scotland, reflecting every aspect of life in Leith and the country at large.
In this latest production he has constructed a heart- rending, feel-good spectacle, that always feels straight from the heart and worthy of the standing ovation it received.
First performed at the Rep in 2007, the show will run in Dundee until September 18 before embarking on a UK-wide tour.
Image used courtesy of sunshineonleiththemusical.com.
10.06pm - 09.09.2010 Kirsteen Raitt - Carnoustie, Scotland Report This
Absolutely a must see, it does what it says on the tin, it makes you laugh and it makes you cry. Enjoyed every minute of the performance and can't wait to see it again. Thank you to the cast and crew for creating such a fantastic show, it has been ages since I have enjoyed anything so much, thanks x
02.55am - 10.09.2010 Craig E King - Dundee, Scotland Report This
I'm 53, and musicals don't really float my boat, got sort of coerced into Sunshine On Leith, but, seriously, can't believe how much I enjoyed it. If I've had a better night out in the last 20 years, it must have involved alcohol coz I can't remember it. A big handshake to all, no hugs, I'm Scottish!
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