Sunshine on Leith

It is a rare thing to find a musical which presents the audience with the realities of life. It is a rarer thing still to find a musical which is deeply embedded in the culture and language of a specific region of the UK. But, when the musical in question is based around the music of the Proclaimers, that is undoubtedly what you are going to get.

Sunshine on Leith is full of the energy of the place and the people that the Proclaimers have always written about. The band's songs are political and emotional and in constructing a narrative around the music, Stephen Greenhorn touches on many of the concerns of modern day Scotland: language and identity, the national health service, soldiers serving in Afghanistan, football, emigration and the often inexplicable emotional landscape of Scottish masculinity.

Acted and sung in broad Leith accents, this is a show which hooks you with its verve and emotional honesty. The cast are full of enthusiasm, and though they do not all have the kind of voices one would usually find in musical theatre, they bring to life the subtleties and nuances in the incredibly familiar songs.

Particular mention must be made of the four actors portraying the family at the centre of the story. John Buick's Rab is a touching exploration of the unreconstructed Scottish man; Anne Louise Ross as his wife Jean provides the emotional core of the family; Keith Fleming is their son Davy, returning from the army and looking to make his way in civilian life; and bringing heart to the whole show is Gail Watson as Liz, a young woman desperate for her chance at adventure and willing to fight for everything she believes in.

This is a truly enjoyable night out which will make you grin and will very nearly make you weep. More than that, it is a show capable of winning a heartfelt standing ovation from an Edinburgh audience, which is no mean feat. Just be warned, you will be humming Sunshine on Leith for days afterwards.