Latest news with #SunnyAfternoon
The Independent
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Nigel Farage serenaded in the street on campaign visit
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was serenaded by a potential voter as he visited Runcorn to campaign ahead of the by-election. The politician spent about 15 minutes walking along Church Street in the Cheshire town with the party's candidate, Sarah Pochin, on Monday afternoon. Reform UK is hoping for victory in the previously safe Labour seat of Runcorn and Helsby, where a by-election was called after MP Mike Amesbury stood down following his assault conviction for punching a constituent. Mr Farage stopped to shake the hands of passers-by and posed for selfies as he walked along the shopping street. Resident Alan Ayres got out his guitar after speaking to Mr Farage and he and a friend launched into a rendition of The Kinks song Sunny Afternoon as the delighted politician clapped along. The song, which begins with the line 'The tax man's taken all my dough', was released in 1966 and referenced high levels of tax introduced by the Labour government of the time. Mr Ayres told the politician: 'I love what you do, mate, and I love the stuff you say and what you're saying. It's what Britain needs. 'I don't mean to be rude but we don't need Keir Starmer, we don't need that.' As Mr Farage walked along the town's promenade to do media interviews, one passing driver shouted: 'Go on Farage, lad. Send the f****** back.' The former I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! contestant said he did not trust early polling which predicted a win for his party, but told the PA news agency: 'All I can say is it's Labour's 16th safest seat, they're only nine months in to a landslide government, it's a must-win for them. 'We are, by our estimates at the moment, maybe a little bit behind but it really is a little bit. 'It's going to be very very close and, boy, if we win this, this will be one of the most dramatic by-elections of modern political history.' Candidate Ms Pochin was previously a Conservative councillor in Cheshire East. But Mr Farage said there were as many former Labour supporters standing for Reform UK as ex-Tories. He said: 'We've got people from the centre-right and the centre-left that support this party. 'The reason we're doing so well is there are many millions of us who think that economically and societally this country is going downhill and it needs a change of direction.' The by-election is the first Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Government has faced since coming to power and will be held on May 1, along with local elections across the country.
Axios
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
New Kinks musical lights up Chicago Shakespeare stage
Chicago Shakespeare Theater's new show strays a bit from what theatergoers may expect. The big picture: "Sunny Afternoon" tells the story of The Kinks, from brothers Ray and Dave Davies working class roots in England to the toll fame took on them and their band. At two hours and 40 minutes, the ensemble, donning English mod costumes and treating the entire theater as a dance hall as they move throughout the audience, belt out more than 25 songs from The Kinks' deep catalog. Zoom in: Ray Davies was very involved in the U.K. premiere of "Sunny Afternoon" in 2014. "He would speak about the character of Ray in the third person, I think, to help him deal with the emotional experience of dramatizing some of the harder moments in his life," director Edward Hall tells Axios. "He also worked to help us ensure that all the instruments and equipment used in the production are authentic and exactly what they used at the time." Fun fact: The Kinks' music stands out from some of their fellow British Invasion peers for a harder, louder sound, but also their musical influence on a range of artists. "I was stunned by the musicians who came to see the show in London because of their love and admiration for The Kinks — Brian May from Queen, the Gallagher brothers from Oasis, Brian Johnson from AC/DC, and all the members of Fleetwood Mac. They all spoke about the influence of The Kinks on their own work," Hall says.
Chicago Tribune
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘Sunny Afternoon' at Chicago Shakespeare chases the soul of Ray Davies and The Kinks
The story and music of The Kinks belong on Broadway. No question. We've had 'Jersey Boys,' 'The Who's Tommy,' Beatlemanias, The Doors and 'Stereophonic.' Ray Davies' band was a poetic paradox and thus far more interesting theatrically than all of 'em. Where to start? We have a British invasion pop band that refused to entertain teenagers with the pablum of the same four chords. A rare socialist musician whose U.S. career was stalled by his refusal to deal with, of all things, unions. A nostalgist who craved change. A crew of violent radicals who missed their mums. An anti-establishment foursome whose elegiac music spoke of longing for lost British innocence, as really existing only in Davies' own, now justly revered, head. But what a diversely poetic catalog of songs. Seriously, 'Waterloo Sunset,' 'Lola,' 'You Really Got Me,' 'This Time Tomorrow.' On and on. Only that of The Beatles competes, and people know that body of work far more intimately than a catalog that's been lost in the sands of times, probably more than the creators of 'Sunny Afternoon' realize. At one point in this authorized Kinks musical from London, now in its North American premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, I started musing on the mind-blowing difficulty faced by the show's book writer, the British playwright Joe Penhall, who has to compete with the narrative poetry of Ray Davies' own lyrics and gorgeously iconoclastic stories and vistas. Like most new musicals, especially ambitious U.S. imports from London (no tariffs, please), 'Sunny Afternoon' has a ways to go in finding out what it wants to be. It hasn't decided what scale works. Broadway? Or are we talking something akin to 'Lazarus,' the David Bowie tuner that honored the man by staying too weird for the Main Stem? More importantly, 'Sunny Afternoon' has yet to determine whether to tell the standard-issue jukebox story of 'misunderstood artist fighting the suits who want to take his money, put him in a box, make him commercial,' yada, yada, or strive for something more risky and radical. There is ample justification for the former in The Kinks' story. Davies sure did fight publishers and promoters. Hard. But audiences have been taught no record company executive or manager or publisher is ever sympathetic in these artist-driven shows, with the possible exception of Berry Gordy, although even then not in 'Dreamgirls.' So that's a predictable melodramatic trajectory into which 'Sunny Afternoon' partly falls, and from which it should immediately clamber out. It should decide instead to stuff the easy road and embrace what made The Kinks The Kinks, and risk everything instead. The far more interesting story and, frankly, the one Penhall is far better at writing and Edward Hall far better at directing, is the one inside and outside the Davies brothers' heads: their relationship with their parents, their feelings over the grievous loss of their sister, their interactions within the rest of the band, the intermural conflicts, the pleasures, the clashes and flashes of genius, the unspooling melodies surprising even their creators, the Shakespearean switches between high tragedy and low comedy. Of life and art. When 'Sunny Afternoon' goes there, and, believe me, it often does, the show feels fresh, vibrant, joyful, unpredictable and delightfully chaotic — in other words, far truer to the Kinks' story. Put in terms of the obvious Broadway influences here, the show needs to be more like 'Stereophonic' and less like 'Jersey Boys.' The core of that more interesting route is already there from the London original ('Sunny Afternoon' was first seen more than a decade ago) and it's at least partly a matter of updating and adding to it while excising the rest. Already, designer Miriam Buether has built an expressionistic backdrop of amplifiers. There's one helpful cue. I'd start with what's now Scene 2 in Davies' familial living room, not the messy opener with Davies and his goofy managers. Act 2 falls into the same opening trap with a cartoonish scene as the lads hit the U.S. That got laughs in London, no doubt, but here it feels cheap and obvious. Better to emphasize veracity, family and music, especially since Danny Horn, the young British actor playing Ray Davies, is a superbly cast knockout: he has the plaintive, pleading, insouciant voice, the lyricism, the brooding discontent and a palpable star quality. For whatever else anyone could lob at this show, the piece has The Kinks' signature sound down cold, running hot and loud. As it should. Much attention clearly and laudably was paid to its precise replication, born of both a determination to stand out from the pack and a jerry-rigged amplifier. Kinks superfans will see and appreciate what I am talking about. Oliver Hoare, who plays Ray's bandmate brother Dave, also has imbued the Bros. Davies' gestalt and knows how to tickle the fans, as Dave surely did. That pair of imported actors joins the very credible American additions Michael Lepore (who plays the late, famously handsome, bassist Peter Quaife) and Kieran McCabe (who plays, also in the musical sense, drummer Mick Avory). They work here alongside a busy ensemble that includes Emma Grace Bailey, Joy Campbell, John Carlin, Jared D.M. Grant, Will Leonard, Ben Mayne, Sean Fortunato, Joseph Papke and Marya Grandy. Ana Margaret Marcu plays Ray Davies' first wife, Rasa, a role that feels underwritten, especially since Marcu has a voice that harmonizes beautifully with Horn's instrument. (The real person sang uncredited backing vocals on Kinks recordings.) We need more of that and less of Rasa being stuck home with the baby. We know all about the toll extracted by the road. It's in dozens of shows. This is the coda-less story of the early Kinks, and so no divorces, etc. Chrissie Hynde, with whom Davies had a daughter, does not make an appearance. I heard someone on the way out saying they wondered what happened to the band, which does beg a question, although that might be a rabbit hole given the complexity of the answer. Better I think to stick with the foundational truth of this great product of the fervent British years of pop and rock and the music, especially the latter. We could stand a yet deeper dive into the catalog. Act 2 has at least one false ending. And at one point, a couch gets rolled out even while McCabe is doing a drum solo, which is nuts. Forget prepping the next scene. After all this work, the songs should be allowed to live and breathe. And when the actual Kinks creative process finally shows up, all too briefly in Act 2, it's fascinating but feels rather tacked on. Actually, that and the content of two of the most singular Muswell Hill skulls should be the core of the show. It's why we all are there and key to the bright U.S. future of a very British 'Sunny Afternoon.' Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@ Review: 'Sunny Afternoon' (3.5 stars) When: Through April 27 Where: The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Afternoon Briefing: Severe weather strikes south suburbs
Good afternoon, Chicago. Despite the snow that fell on parts of the Chicago area, today marks the spring equinox. And you know what that means: Chicagohenge. Twice a year, during the spring and fall equinoxes, the rising and setting sun lines up with Chicago's east-west street grid, creating spectacular photo opportunities as the sun is framed within Chicago's skyline. Here's how it works — and where to see it during sunrise and sunset. And here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Winds from heavy storms that hit the south and southwest suburbs late Wednesday afternoon ripped the roof of a building in Steger, temporarily closing nearby railroad tracks. Read more here. More top news stories: Suspect killed in Pullman police shooting after domestic disturbance: CPD Naperville police make fourth gun-related arrest at Topgolf parking lot since early February Eight Chicago-based U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development staffers with more than 180 collective years of service have retired or are retiring later this year as the agency undergoes scrutiny and faces cuts from billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and President Donald Trump. Read more here. More top business stories: Bracing for budget crisis, Metra agreed to pay lobbyist as much as $4.65M for work on transit fiscal cliff Amid discontent at classical station, WFMT employees announce intent to unionize Here are five takeaways from No. 11 seed Xavier's win as No. 6 seed Illinois prepares for the matchup. More top sports stories: 'Proud and honored': Kosuke Fukudome, the Chicago Cubs' first Japanese player, reconnects with team in Tokyo Is 'winning the offseason' a real thing? And what must the Chicago Bears do for the NFL draft to be a success? Lollapalooza has announced the lineup by day for summer 2025, with Luke Combs and Tyler, the Creator as the headliners on the festival's opening day July 31. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: 'Sunny Afternoon' opens soon at Chicago Shakes, telling the chaotic story of Ray Davies and The Kinks Review: 'Eephus' is a fond farewell to a small-town baseball field in its last inning Across wine country in France, Italy and Spain one number is top of mind: 200%. That's because last week U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a tariff of that amount on European wine, Champagne and other spirits if the European Union went ahead with retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. products. Read more here. More top stories from around the world: Social Security Administration to require in-person identity checks for new and existing recipients US falls to lowest-ever position in world happiness rankings; Finland on top again
