It was a cold, wet and foggy evening in Leeds yesterday, but inside the Grand we were transported to back to the glorious mid eighties in Dublin as we watched The Commitments, the new stage version of Roddy Doyle’s novel that the author has himself adapted.
Doyle’s 1987 novel The Commitments was a story with music at its heart. The characters were revealed so vividly through Doyle’s dialogue that they spawned a trilogy of novels. The 1991 film adaptation, directed by Alan Parker, portrayed the economic and social decay in mid-1980s Dublin. The stage version, adapted by Doyle, opened in the West End in 2013. It remains loyal to earlier incarnations of the story.
The Commitments tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte, a young working-class music fan who somehow turns a rather unlikely and motley crew of amateur musicians into an amazing live soul band, the finest Dublin has ever produced. We follow the auditions and the setting up of the band as they come to know each other and to learn to play together, then through the rehearsals to the all-important first gig and beyond, with all that this entails. Sex, drugs (well, alcohol) and a rock n roll lifestyle. It’s all there. And the implosion at the end.
The first part of the show is mainly concerned with how The Commitments became a band. It’s a plot driven section, full of comedy and rowdy behaviour. The second half follows the fortunes of the band as a record deal looms on the horizon, and is mainly performance based. As you’d expect from a show about soul music, the relevant cultural touch stones are belted out in a grand old fashion.
Cast-wise, it’s a strong affair with not a single disappointment amongst the young performers. Andrew Linnie takes on the central role of Jimmy Rabbitte and does a superb job all round. Brian Gilligan as lead singer Deco holds the stage and encapsulates the whole story. With charisma and an incredible soul voice. His passion for singing those songs is unmistakable. He portrays the egoistic and nasty sides of Deco convincingly. His rendition of Try A Little Tenderness towards the end of the show is enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of one’s neck.
Alex McMorran was unavailable so Jon Bonner played Joey the Lips with all his pontifications and does so with a charm that suits the lascivious character. Kevin Kennedy performs the role of ‘Jimmy’s Da’ (father) in a nicely understated way. The three “Commitmentettes” are played by Amy Penston, Leah Penston and Christina Tedders each one has an individually powerful voice and is fortunately given a chance to shine alone as well as in the trio. The acting from all three is spot on too. A solid supporting cast and excellent musicianship with the live off stage band led by Matthew J Loughran add to the whole production
The show features classic soul songs including I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Knock On Wood, You Keep Me Hanging On and Mustang Sally. From the Motown medley of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted to rock’n’roll classics such as (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
The set, designed by Soutra Gilmour, is simple but very effective and evokes Dublin social housing as well as various other slightly seedy venues of the 80s. Gilmour is also responsible for the costumes, which work perfectly and very much depict the era. And I know we’re not supposed to notice the technical crew but I must say how hard they worked moving the magnificent set around the Grand’s stage.
This is much more than a bog-standard compilation musical. The dialogue has a splendid wit and the exhilaration of making music is beautifully caught. There’s a strong sense that for these kids – living in bleak council estates and struggling along in dead end jobs or on the dole – being in a band offers the one real chance of hope and escape
All in all, it’s a fantastic show. It’s the story of a band struggling to be a band. Their struggles along the way are hilarious and when they finally make it and the pieces click into place, it’s magnificent.
In Leeds until Saturday 10 December and on tour around the UK