The Scottish Mamma Mia! Sunshine on Leith turns The Proclaimers hits into irrepressibly appealing musical
SUNSHINE ON LEITH: How these two inspired the Scottish Mamma Mia! — an irrepressibly appealing jukebox musical.
Leigh Paatsch
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With Sunshine on Leith Scotland takes a leaf out of Sweden’s book in a bid to mine some feel-good singalong gold.
While it won’t match ABBA’s slam dunk success with Mamma Mia!, this irrepressibly appealing jukebox musical — powered by the many hits of bespectacled Scot popsters The Proclaimers — will still find a receptive audience ‘round these here parts.
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A simple storyline pitches two bonny young soldiers who have just returned to their home town of Edinburgh after a tragedy-tinged tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Ally (Kevin Guthrie) already has a girlfriend, Liz (Freya Mavor). His best buddy Davy (George MacKay) is on the lookout for one. His sister Liz’s best friend Yvonne (Antonia Thomas) just might fit the bill.
Meanwhile, Davy and Yvonne’s parents (Peter Mullan and Jane Horrocks) are approaching their 25th wedding anniversary, and a shock revelation has cast a dark cloud over the plans for a big celebration.
As should rightly be the case, a plot as skimpy as this loses nothing in efficiency as an excuse-to-sing generator, and those impossibly catchy compositions of The Proclaimers enter and exit exactly when they should.
The big hits provide the biggest sonic highlights of the film. I’m On My Way (“from misery to happiness today, uh-huh, uh-huh!”) accompanies a brisk walk along a pub-lined main drag.
The gloriously soaring Letter From America ties in heart-achingly with a featured character’s sudden move overseas.
And in the interests of saving the best until last, what seems like the whole of Edinburgh hits the bricks on a sunny summer’s day to shout and stomp their way through the classic I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).
SUNSHINE ON LEITH (PG)
Director: Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill)
Starring: George MacKay, Freya Mavor, Kevin Guthrie, Antonia Thomas, Peter Mullan, Jane Horrocks
Verdict: Three stars. Proclaiming the right to sing and dance
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