The Cast Photo by Carol Rosegg

The story covers a relatively brief stretch of the band's career beginning in 1964 and engages in some narrative compression of even the time period under consideration. Davies does devote attention to his relationships with the other band members, especially, of course, his brother Dave. Likewise, his first wife Rasa, who contributed to some of the early songs, is a presence. But to the extent that Davies is interested in a narrative, he lets the songs speak. On the one hand, this means there's some double-tracked mythologizing going on, but on the other, his songs are so exquisitely personal that the standard gimmick of this kind of show works to an extent unrivaled by other entries in the genre.

Miriam Buether sets the show up for success with scenic and costume design that establishes the end of '50s (which, of course, does not come about until the early '60s), carries the characters and plot through the emergence of the Mods, and lands the whole story in Madison Square Garden more than a decade later. Buether's dinner jackets and taffeta formals to open the show play to hilarious effect as fashions, both musical and otherwise, undergo a seismic shift toward go-go boots and geometric polyester prints. The band's bottle-green mohair suits, frilled shirts, and long, skirted coats follow the same temporal contours yet convey the ways in which these young men both conformed to and defied what was expected of them. Adam Cooper's choreography works beautifully alongside Buether's fashion sense.

The set is done in warm but appropriately dated oranges, greens and yellows for the floor (including a long, green thrust down the center aisle). The walls are entirely composed of sound components that not only represent the sonic innovations of the Davies brothers, but also suggest the eyes that the band finds constantly on them as soon as they find any kind of success. Rick Fisher's lighting meets Buether's design to supply warmth, tension, and hints of proto-psychedelia as befits the swift-moving, often impressionistic scenes.

Matt McKenzie's sound design forms the critical bedrock for what is (and should be) the most important element of the show: the glorious music. Davies and Elliot Ware (also credited as music supervisor) adapted the music and vocal parts for the production, and Mason Moss serves as the musical director. The work of all is flawless. Hearing these songs decomposed, rearranged and remixed is a true pleasure for anyone only passingly familiar with some of the bigger hits, and for the more seriously invested fans, the work that the musical team does here offers up the gift of a new and deeper appreciation for how well each holds up. A highlight among highlights is the a cappella "Days," and the bittersweet way that "Waterloo Sunset" comes together, even as it seems the band is coming apart, is tremendously moving.

Danny Horn (Ray Davies) and Oliver Hoare (Dave Davies) reprise their West End roles. Both have the acting, vocal, and musical chops necessary to carry the show. Horn navigates the role of Ray well, winning empathy in the way he conveys the pressures Ray finds himself under and is poorly equipped to handle, without shying away from the flaws that harm the people around him. Hoare captures Dave's childlike (and straightforwardly childish, given his age at the band's outset) attributes early on and skillfully demonstrates how poorly those attributes age in a performance that mirrors, but never mimics Horn's.

Kieran McCabe (Mick Avory) and Michael Lepore (Peter Quaife) take on roles that are not as well fleshed out as those of the brothers, but establish themselves as important to the band dynamics. McCabe, in particular, is adept at low-key seething one minute and projecting genuine warmth and affection for his oldest friend the next. Lepore good-naturedly takes a character who has something of a joke in context and stretches beyond what could become two-dimensional.

Ana Margaret Marcu packs a tremendous punch as Rasa when she first appears, and the quick tumble into love, marriage, and accidentally starting a family is rendered onstage believable by her magnetism. She is appealing enough that one wishes the story had more for her to do.

As Grenville Collins, Larry Page, and Robert Wace, the band's somewhat hapless management/production team, Will Leonard, Sean Fortunato, and Ben Mayne, respectively, are up to the task of serving as the upper crust personified. The ways in which they strong-arm the elder generation of Davies into signing the first contracts on behalf of Dave (who was still a minor at this point) convey that they have no particular ill-will toward the young men, whom they seem genuinely to grow close with, rather than are simply acting according to the only social template they know. Similarly, as Eddie Kassner, Joseph Papke flips the switch from guilt trip to business with impressive ease and adds a bit of comic flair.

Marya Grandy and John Carlin turn in important performances in small but critical roles as the Davies' parents. The two also resurface as Marsha and Allen Klein, who ultimate resurrect the band's reputation and ability to perform in the U.S., and the double-casting works to remind the audience that the brothers, unlike many of their peers and rivals, had some semblance of family support behind them.

Sunny Afternoon runs through April 27, 2025, at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Yard Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago IL. For tickets and information, please visit www.chicagoshakes.com.