Saturday’s evening performance marked the last for the remaining original cast members, including the four Kinks themselves: John Dagleish (Ray Davies), George Maguire (Dave Davies), Ned Derrington (Pete Quaife) and Adam Sopp (Mick Avory).
The final performance marked my fourth time seeing the Olivier Award winning musical (my first review can be found here), yet Saturday’s show was like none I have ever seen before. With Ray himself watching in the wings, as well as the show’s director Edward Hall and scriptwriter Joe Penhall amongst the crowd, the cast did not fail in delivering energy by the bucket load!
Everyone excelled within their characters, as per usual, however emotions were running high and it was clear to see which songs caused a few tears to spill. The audience were the most supportive that I have ever been amongst, with cheers erupting at the end of every song or favoured line. The whole experience was one made up of an indescribable atmosphere, with the audience unified in giving this wonderful cast the send off that they deserved.
Some of the cast members have already made their future plans public, most notably John Dagleish who is set to star in Kenneth Branagh’s The Winter’s Tale and Harlequinade on 17th October, for a year-long run.
New cast led by Danny Horn (Ray Davies), Oliver Hoare (Dave Davies), Tom Whitelock (Pete Quaife) and Damien Walsh (Mick Avory), will take to the stage on Monday 5th October, with another year guaranteed for this beloved musical.