Sunshine on Leith is a fun, heart capturing exploration of what it means to be human following mistakes, tribulations, love and forgiveness. Captivate Theatres’ vibrant, energetic, emotional, sell-out production is back. Sunshine on Leith by Stephen Greenhorn follows the highs and lows of Ally and Davy as they negotiate families, friendships and love in this funny and moving story featuring songs of The Proclaimers.
Sean Quinn as Davy had fantastic posture, his physicality represented that of a strong but stubborn masculine man. His emotional conviction was excellent especially within his relationship with on stage mother Jean. His voice perfectly matched that of his romantic counterpart. He was always focused and living in the world of the character allowing the audience to believe the world he had created.
Martin Mitchell had an outstanding performance as Ally, the emotional journey of the character was portrayed excellently. His vocal ability was his major strength bringing joy to the ears with his excellent harmonies, he has such a beautiful tone to his voice. This was especially highlighted during the song ‘Life With You’. Quinn is one to watch out for a real gem in the industry.
Jessica Nolan as Liz had a wonderful edge about her, a striking two toned character. One tone of an independent wanderlust and the other a caring thoughtful soul who wouldn’t let others down. Nolan used a fantastic modern approach to the character, although I feel she was sometimes inhibited during the more vulnerable moments in the characters journey. Her voice was extremely versatile and one that is really easy to listen to. I feel she used a blended use of her voice steering away from what can sometimes become one note of the MT sound.
Catherine Bain as Yvonne was a lovely innocent portrayal. She made the character her own, giving a somewhat lighthearted approach in her struggles with Davy. Her voice was utilized to create some nice harmonies.
Hazel Beattie was real down to earth, humble Jean. Her biggest impact on the audience was during her performance of ‘Sunshine on Leith’. Hazel striked a perfect balance in portraying the raw, gut wrenching upset and singing the song beautifully. Her comedic timing was fantastic.
Sandy Queenan as Rab had real likability and rawness. He was so comfortable on stage, oftentimes making you feel as though you were in his living room. His portrayal of his dedication to be a good father was fuelled by emotion which made the audience side with him throughout the play.
Brett Herriot had wonderful diction, he did not shy away from the audience, welcoming their gaze. Herriot commanded the stage with his excellent stage presence, a joy to watch.. Sarah McLeod wonderfully embraced the vulnerability of Eilidh and was a key factor in the emotional drive of the production.
The ensemble brought high energy, interesting well developed characters and some moments of genius in their reaction. One ensemble member muttered “is she alright” ( after Yvonne’s verse in smash hit ‘Over and Done With’) with a perfectly familiar Scottish infliction which highlights both judgment and care.
The transitions between the pivotal parts of the story at times felt rushed as if constricted by time. Due to this some of the emotional key points fell short as it did not feel like there was enough build up to them for the audience to really feel the impact despite the stellar effort of the cast. The biggest downfall of this production was unfortunately the choice of venue, as a major musical production it deserves the space to be performed. It is worth noting the space was used as well as it possibly could have been, with actors using the aisles as well as the stage. The venue as a whole did not feel right for this show, due to the seating not being raked and the massive pillars which run through the venue, the view of the show was restricted. With a sold out performance, there was no option but to fill the seats meaning some audience members will have the same issue. To the extent that at one point I could only see the shadows of two characters and had to use the shadow to decipher what was happening on stage.
‘Sunshine on Leith’ is a fun filled musical which has a fantastic cast. It is still to be enjoyed despite the poor choice in venue. This production will still leave you with a feel good attitude as you leave the venue and the effort of the cast and musicians is highly recognisable. This production with this cast has amazing potential to grow, though, if you are looking for a Proclaimers feel good sing-song this is still the production for you.
Sunshine On Leith plays at Bijou, Assembly Rooms August 3rd-26th at 3:30pm. You can grab your tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sunshine-on-leith?day=16-08-2023
Theatre Scotland 
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