Sunshine on...Watson's - an opening night preview

Sunshine on Leith follows the story of two Scots, Davy and Ally returning to their hometown of Leith after a stint fighting in the army and documents their transition back to their everyday lives. The emotional and feel good musical, set in Edinburgh, explores the struggles and joys of their return, expertly intertwined with the music of Edinburgh's own rock duo, The Proclaimers. 

The use of thrust staging allows the audience to experience the performance from three angles, giving an intimate feel to the overall production. The simplistic set with minimal yet realistic props, combined with clever lighting states brings the plot to life and was extremely successful in 'setting the scene' without taking away from the performances of the cast. Smooth scene changes and quick prop adjustments from the backstage crew also contributed to a polished and professional performance. The tight-knit orchestra, who sat neatly in the corner of the hall, filled the auditorium with a vibrancy that helped bring the show to life. 

The musical was filled with excellent performances of iconic Proclaimers' numbers such as ‘I'm On My Way’, '500 Miles' and ‘Sunshine On Leith’, along with a number of other classics which were executed flawlessly by the cast and enhanced by the orchestra. The fun and well thought out choreography allowed for a light-hearted and feel good performance which left the audience in high-spirits and really captured the soul of the musical as a whole. The cast's consistent and strong use of accents throughout the narrative was also another factor which allowed the audience to be transported to the heart of Leith for the duration of the production. 

Huge congratulations to all involved for an incredible and extremely successful performance which would not have been possible without the exceptional efforts of everyone on and off stage. With the company truly embodying their roles, it is clear that their talents cannot go unnoticed - every member of the principal and ensemble casts delivered heartfelt, emotional and feel-good performances across the board. Similarly, the hard work of the backstage crew and orchestra also led to a fantastic production and all round great adaptation of one of Scotland’s most-loved musicals.

Rosie (S6)
Journalism Enrichment Theatre Reviewer