Let The Sun Shine at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre Review

Reviews

26 Jul

Written by Roby for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own

Up next in the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre’s summer season is ‘Let The Sun Shine’ - a fun, colourful celebration of the 1960s.

The cast as a whole are absolutely brilliant. They all deliver exceptional performances, jumping from strength to strength throughout the show, acting, singing, improvising, and playing musical instruments. Kate Milner-Evans is brilliant as Joan, and she demonstrates great emotional range throughout the show. Abby Middleton is also a scene-stealer, particularly as Puck. This character just really achieves what it seems it was written for - Middleton is truly captivating.

I also loved Perry Moore and Sorrel Jordan as Sonny and Claire respectively. This duo had such great chemistry, and a real natural charm. It’s a shame we’re starved of some Sonny and Cher jokes; however, instead we do get a lovely rendition of ‘I’ve Got You Babe’. The cast truly are the backbone of the show though, delivering consistently excellent performances.

Helen Redcliffe’s writing is strong; however, at times it has some lost potential. Bobby and Viper’s relationship particularly could be explored further, and there are a few other examples of plot points like this that are either too quickly passed over or too drawn out, making the pacing a little odd. Redcliffe’s writing, however, is lots of fun and works with the nature of the venue well.

The music, however, is undeniably the highlight of the show. Under brilliant musical direction from Rob Green, the cast give some strong renditions of classics from the 1960s; ending with, of course, ‘Let The Sun Shine’. For me, the musical standout of the evening was ‘Times They Are A Changin’ - it was just beautiful.

This show combines acoustic music with ‘plugged-in’ music. It’s great to have some amplification in the venue, but unfortunately not every instrument and every actor can have a microphone, meaning that when songs try to combine acoustic and ‘plugged-in’ lots of the acoustic sound is drowned out by the instruments and actors who are amplified. As a result, actors look like they are either lip syncing or pretending to play their instruments.

This combination of sound has clearly come with its challenges, as there was a show stop and a few other technical issues on press night. However, that’s the magic and the thrill of live theatre! The cast handled these difficulties like true professionals, and it even allowed for some extra comedic moments in the second half.

Rob Green and Lucy Thatcher’s direction is good, but at times the show can lack pace and I was left wanting more. The cast do a brilliant job with what they have, though. Thatcher’s choreography is nice, and a particular standout in the number ‘White Rabbit’ - I absolutely loved this; it was lots of fun! The show is also enhanced by its design elements, which complement the genre well and add much-needed colour to scenes.

It’s hard not to compare this show to last week’s ‘Outlaws’, as it has an almost identical cast. Being able to watch them take on two such different shows is a real testament to them all and their wonderful versatility. However, part of me can’t help but note that ‘Let The Sun Shine’ didn’t quite feel as slick. It was a lot of fun, but not quite as witty or as engaging as what I was expecting after such a brilliant show the week before.

Nevertheless, ‘Let The Sun Shine’ is a fun-filled, and energetic night out. It may not have a groundbreaking plot, and there may be the odd sound issue, but the show doesn’t promise anything revolutionary - it promises good vibes, fun, peace and love. It delivers just that; go watch ‘Let The Sun Shine’ at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre if you can… It’s the perfect night out for someone wanting to let their hair down and enjoy themselves.