The Bohemians, Edinburgh’s renowned amateur theatre company presents ‘Sunshine On Leith’ at the Church Hill Theatre. Morningside’s sunny disposition just got sunnier with a wonderful rendition of the Leith based smash hit musical ‘Sunshine On Leith’. Sunshine On Leith written by Stephen Greenhorn, was originally created and produced by the Dundee Rep Theatre. The story follows two Scottish soldiers who return to their hometown of Leith, ‘Davy’ and ‘Ally’ struggle to adjust to civilian life, they get new jobs, kindle and rekindle love as well as come to terms with their future. This story is about love as its core, love in relationships, love in family and love for your hometown.
Firstly the overall quality of this production for being by an amateur company was phenomenal, the stage crew has to be commended for some relatively slick scene changes – some were a little shakey. However, we can excuse pernickety curtains and sticky wheels. The show’s physical set design was simple, the main pieces were a raised platform above the stage, a screen upstage, which gave the audience the indication of setting, and the various furniture set pieces like chairs, tables, beds etc. The screen was effective; as a now Edinburgh local I clicked on to some familiar places fairly quickly. The use of the raised platform was great when monologues were being delivered, however depending on audience sight-lines – the taller actors heads were slightly obstructed but not enough that it really affected the performance.
The principal cast were absolutely brilliant, but I’d like to give a few special mentions, first of all I would like to commend Christine Mills’s ‘Jean’. Mills was stellar as the loveable Scottish maw, hilarious physicality, gripping monologues and a beautiful rendition of the ballad ‘Sunshine On Leith’. Colin Sutherland was great as ‘Davy’ an all round talented performer, great energy throughout, a powerhouse in the making.
To reiterate – all of this cast were fantastic on stage, every one of them were stellar comedy actors and beautiful vocalists.
Moving on to the back bone of every show – the ensemble – and what a talented ensemble features in this show. The dance numbers were electric and each performer’s energy was infectious, they lit up the room and got the audience jumping. Their talent is undeniable, one small critique would be that there were a few early run jitters that did show a bit of a wobble in hitting vocal cues, nonetheless, this is a strong ensemble for this community production. There were even a few standouts, such as the hilarious Alison Wood who grabbed every moment on stage with both hands and ran- such a funny actor. And Emma Clarkson, who is a phenomenal dancer and I see why she was front and centre so often, she hit every single beat with fabulous technique.
Overall, this show was fantastic! The Bohemians have done an excellent job with this production, brilliant performances all round. It was a fun filled show that I’d recommend to anyone – the melodic music of The Proclaimers really underpins the full story; a story of love, family and being Scottish. The musical is not quite ‘Over and done with’, however you need to beg, borrow and steal to get tickets!
Photography – Ric Brannan
Tickets are sold out for ‘Sunshine On Leith’, if you would like to join the waiting list, click below:
Theatre Scotland 
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