"Sunshine On Leith" by LEOS Musical Theatre Company.
May Hall, Long Eaton.
A jubilant, heartfelt musical about the power of home, the heart, family and love featuring the music of The Proclaimers. What separates this "jukebox" musical from others is the storyline, or should that be, there is a storyline!
"Sunshine on Leith", which is making its' East Midlands debut, is set in Leith’s halcyon pre-tram days. Pals Davy and Ally are back from the Army, after returning from a tour in Afghanistan, and trying to settle into civilian life. Ally takes up again with nurse girlfriend Liz while Davy, her brother, embarks on a romance with Yvonne, her colleague.
Obviously, now they have left the army, they have to find civilian jobs, and the scene with Ally and Davy in training for work in a call centre is hilarious, centring on the Scottish voice being one of the "most trustworthy" accents, on a par with the Geordie accent.
Davy and Liz’s parents, Rab and Jean, are about to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary when someone new steps into their lives. This bombshell could match any that Dave and Ally experienced in Afghanistan, especially when the secret is found out at the Anniversary celebrations. 
This is also the time chosen by Ally to propose to Liz. The place is in uproar, and it's Davy, having Ally's back that causes a rift between Davy and Yvonne. The bar room bust up shows that the girls are actually more violent than the men, if the scene stage left is anything to go by.
The story doesn’t quite give a ‘happy ever after’ but it is a celebration of the human spirit and triumph over adversity.
I hate the term "emotional rollercoaster" but that is what this play is. One minute you'll be laughing and then you'll find yourself tearing up.
Rhodri Denton debuts with LEOS in the role of Davy. One word that can be placed on any of these actors/characters is "chemistry". There is a wonderful brotherly chemistry between Davy and Ally and it's the offstage chemistry between these two that makes the on stage chemistry so real. I really can't recall seeing Rhodri in such a major role in a show, I apologise if that is not the case, but this is a role that I will remember Rhodri for, for a long while. There is a disagreement between Davy and Yvonne in the second act, and you can really feel the anger that both actors give out in character.
Ally is played by Matt McAuley, and you can tell that, like the other actors, he has really got under the skin of this character. I would not be surprised if Matt hasn't been practicing method acting and has been walking around talking with a Scottish accent for the last few weeks. If he did, it certainly paid off because the accent did not falter at any time.
There are so many scenes I could quote as being in my Matt Mcauley highlights of "Sunshine", but the scene where Davy visits him as he is packing to re enlist is very powerful, both emotional and infused with anger and frustration. Emotionally, I don't think I've seen Matt play a better scene as he normally gets the comic character.
Yvonne is played by Amy Parker, and such was the chemistry between the four main leads on stage, this lead to a lady after the show asking if Matt and Amy were an item because, as the lady in the audience stated, the chemistry was so strong. Obviously a tribute to all four leads acting skills. I loved Rhodri and Amy's version of "Misty Blue" which is a Proclaimers song that is not so well known. Another scene which had us holding our breath in act two was when the pair were discussing their future together and if they wanted it to work. 
Liz, Davy's sister, is played by Rebekah Dean. There is even more emotion involved with this character and Rebekah dishes it out perfectly. There are only a few songs that are sung by just the one character but Liz's "What Do You Do" is one that shows off Rebekah's voice well
Rab is played by Simon Parker, and it's uncanny how well his vocals match the original Proclaimers guide for the songs. Poor Rab is torn with the bombshell that is dropped on his family, which also ends up with Rab in hospital. Once more that chemistry between Rab and his wife, Jean, is superb, and I think it's that chemistry off stage that makes this onstage marriage such an explosive one.
Jean is played by Liz Woolley. Jean's explosive outburst is one with such power and emotion that will knock you backwards, Liz does not seem to hold back for sure. But for me, the vocal highlight of the evening is when Liz, as Jean, sings to Rab while he is in the hospital, "Sunshine On Leith" with such fragility, it does get to you. Seeing what Jean could have lost also sparks a wave of forgiveness, and not just for Rab.
Eilidh is played by Becky Morley. This isn't a big part but is the catalyst character who also has a difficult decision to work out. It's lovely to see Becky in a principal role, recently she has done more ensemble based parts but I think it's great to see her pushed more to the fore.
There are several other minor roles and ensemble characters who pop in and out of the storyline.
The Busker, played by Ali Langton, performed the song "Better Days" alone on stage with just his guitar and silenced the audience with this song.
Another lovely cameo part was a celebrity chef who was signing books, played by Jack Woolley, and we also get another accent in the mix, an Italian one, with this part. jack also doubles up as Andy.
Emma Collins adds to that wonderfully comic "call centre" scene as the Training Instructor and we get to hear her lovely tones on "Better Things" as The Wedding Singer.
More comedy highlights with the Barman, played by Jack Warburton in another big ensemble number "Over And Done With".
Alice Summerton (Driving Instructor), Jordan Neary (Moira), Josie Coleman (Young Jean), Stuart Bull (Young Rab/Sarge), Laura Davey (Young NED - Non-Educated Delinquent), Lilli White (Karen), Lisa Stone (Jagger), Melissa Vickerstaff (Hazel), Molly Parkinson (Carla) and Nicola Adcock (Doctor). These cameo roles also swell out the ensemble consisting of Victoria Palmer, Steph Brown, Natalie Webster, Milly Clover, Louise McGowan, Lauren Riley and Amy Clover. Particularly impressive in the celebratory scenes.
Directed by Adam Guest, and I've said before that Adam is the theatrical equivalent of King Midas, as everything he touches, turns to gold. I need not say more; King Adam resides.
The choreography is great fun and includes plenty of Scottish dances and Ceilidh style choreography which is great fun to watch, and must be great fun to perform as well. Emma Lamont's choreography could not be any more relevant or accurate as Emma is Scottish born and bred, you just wouldn't think that this is her debut as choreographer.
Musical Director is Ryan Latham who has captured the excitement, energy and the stripped back arrangements of some of the songs that Proclaimers fans will know inside out. The building of the track "Sunshine On Leith" from just the one voice to the big number it develops into, as well as the closing stomper, which again starts as a simple song for two, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", show the quality of Ryan's work in this field.
The soundtrack by The Proclaimers takes on a whole new feel with these arrangements and you can hear every word that the Reid Brothers wrote, and with many of these songs they take on a completely new meaning. Songs like "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", "Jean", "Letter From America", "I'm On My Way", "Sky Takes The Soul", "Let's Get Married" and "Make My Heart Fly", as well as the beautiful "Misty Blue" and the haunting title track make this musical so much more than a run of the mill jukebox musical.
Lighting Design is by David Price, another stalwart of the theatre and of the production side. From simple white lighting to highlight the actors to full on colourful stage flooding, it made for an exciting addition to the musical.
Sound Design is by Sam Lenord. A few missed mic cues where the start of the speech was clipped off, but it's opening night so I am sure that this will be tightened up as the week continues. Apart from these very few minor misses, the volume and tone were just right.
The sets relied on several props moved on and off stage with speed to create the different settings and the rostrums to create a second level were well utilised. I didn't even need to consult the programme to recognise the construction style of Roydon Charlesworth.
The costumes, especially the soldiers' costumes were fabulous. Co Ordinated by Kim-louise Sparks.
Theatre is one form of entertainment that should be accessible to everyone, and to make sure that this production is accessible to everyone, there is a BSL interpreted performance, signed by Kat Pearson, on Saturday's matinee. There's also a QR code in the programme for an audio description of the programme. There's also a QR code to donate in the programme, plus all the gen on everyone. A lovely informative with just about everything you need to know about everything regarding this show. All wonderfully designed by Matt McAuley, so make sure you get yourself a programme as well.
I must also mention that after the show I was talking to people, cast members etc., and I was chatting to two ladies who said that after attending LEOS last show, "Kiss Me Kate", they didn't really know this show but bought tickets on the strength of the last show. This is how a fan base expands!
Did I enjoy "Sunshine On Leith"? Well it shows that singing the songbook of just one band is not always easy, especially when singing in accent. The accents, at times, weren't as strong as they were at the start of the show, but I am extremely picky, especially with a theatre group who I greatly admire and have such a massive reputation in local theatre circles. sorry, I didn't answer my own question, did I enjoy the show? I absolutely loved it and had real issues keeping my feet still.
Just one other thing that I would advise, and that is to bring the house lights up at the end of Act One, as there was a bit of confusion as to if the interval was at that time as the auditorium was left with the lights down and we didn't know if anyone was coming back on stage. The lights did eventually come up though, but could have been a wee bit quicker, and the race for the bar was on.
This show is so much better than braw, it's pure barry, ken like!
"Sunshine On Leith" is at May Hall in Long Eaton until Saturday 4 November.
Photography by Chris Clarke
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