Words: Paul Szabo
Set in Dublin in 1986, The Commitments charts the rise and fall of an unlikely group of misfit musicians who are brought together by young music entrepreneur Jimmy Rabbitte. Billed as “The hardest working soul band in Dublin”, the group start out as friends and skirt on the edge of greatness, but as egos clash, band members squabble, fights break out and passions get in the way, the backstage harmony couldn’t be more different from the harmonies on stage.
Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle, The Commitments is a story of empowerment through music and the hopes of a group of youngsters trying to break away from mid-Eighties urban decay and from their dead-end lives. Adapted for the stage by Doyle himself, the show is on tour after a successful run in the West End; and with over 20 soul classics in the show, including “Mustang Sally”, “River Deep, Mountain High”, “Mr Pitiful” and “Try a Little Tenderness”, it’s a production that really does have soul music at its heart.
“There is a story behind every song,” says Jimmy Rabbitt at one of the band’s rehearsals, but ironically this adaptation is fairly light on both plot and social commentary. The narrative skims the surface of the story of the band’s rise and fall, limits the development of the characters and feels slightly rushed at times, but this is in exchange for packing in a number of lively performances of the songs that the audience clearly came to hear. The show, wisely, keeps the ballads to an absolute minimum, and instead employs a set-list of upbeat numbers, blasting open the show with an enthusiastic rendition of “Proud Mary” and keeping the energy levels cranked up throughout the show’s duration.
With a fresh new look to the show, a versatile set and a terrific lighting design; this is a very well-rounded production. There is plenty to like about those on stage; James Killleen’s optimistic and happy-go-lucky portrayal of Jimmy Rabbitte is easy to warm to and Ronnie Yorke steals a number of scenes as local hard man Mickah Wallace. However, it is Ian McIntosh with a perfectly cast and confident performance as the band’s lead singer, Deco, who stands out, oozing with charisma, brimming with stage presence and impressing the audience with the most sublime, soulful voice. As an ensemble, the cast give it their all as a blend of talented musicians and singers who, unlike the fictional band, work incredibly well together, and it is during those 20 or so musical numbers scattered over the show’s two-hour duration where the show really comes alive.
There are some great comic moments nestled in the script and overall, the production is terrific fun, bringing the audience to its feet in the finale with a collection of soul standards. The music is infectious and the definite strength of the production. There is little effort to weave the songs into the narrative and songs from the popular film are surprisingly thin on the ground, but quite frankly, this doesn’t matter when the energy and performances of the cast are so solid and the songbook is so toe-tappingly great.
The Commitments is at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until 22nd October 2022. Details of their accessibility police can be found here.
