IT took a great deal of convincing over a period of more than 20 years to get author Roddy Doyle to re-adapt his novel The Commitments, already a huge hit on screen, into a stage musical. Nonetheless, when it did finally appear in 2013 it was pretty much an immediate success.
The Commitments is an archetypal juke box musical (although Doyle rejects the term) all the moreso in that many of the songs it contains, mostly hits of the 50s, 60s and 70s, remain permanent residents in your average pub jukebox to this day.
In 1980s Dublin Jimmy Rabbitte is trying to form a band. He coddles together a group of wannabes through a somewhat unconventional audition process, and then all he has to do is keep them together and sober in one place at the same time for long enough to actually play a set. The one thing he needs most from them is that they show some commitment, so you’d think the name he gives the band might help there.
The story, such as it is, is told here under Andrew Linnie’s direction in short bursts that punctuate the music. There’s a brief introduction to some key characters, the band forms, the band plays, they get better and enjoy some success, then (spoiler alert) they split. You could tell this story along with its minor sub-plots in no time, and in a way you can feel that the cast know the audience are not here for the storytelling. Where the show works best is when it turns into a gig, which it does in increasingly lengthy segments, although ironically the longest run of musical numbers is actually in the lengthy encore segment at the very end, so if you’ve come for the music – and you probably have – don’t be rushing off for the bus as soon as the cast take a bow!
It’s interesting and a bit sad that the show is frequently sold on a headline actor (more than once a Corrie star and in the current cast Nigel Pivaro) as Jimmy’s father, when in fact the role is little more than a series of shoehorned-in comic cameos. Jimmy himself is played by James Killeen, who turns out to be one of the most convincing acting parts in the company, many of whom feel as though they are going through the motions when delivering spoken dialogue.
It is when the singing starts that everything makes an upturn, and even the acting improves. This is clearly a group of highly accomplished musicians and vocalists, and to intentionally perform badly, as they do in some of the earlier numbers, is a great deal more difficult than it looks, and they do make it genuinely funny. When they really start to get focused (there is a significant musical gear-shift when they arrive at ‘What Becomes of the Broken Hearted’) the music making is first rate, and the offstage band under the direction of Adam Smith blends seamlessly with the vocal and instrumental performances onstage.
James Deegan, one of two alternates in the role of lead singer Deco, is onstage on press night. His vocals are refined and polished and, although this refinement is almost certainly against character for Deco, it certainly makes for some very pleasing readings of the stream of hits, which he croons rather than belts. The stars of the show though are indisputably the trio of lead female characters Imelda, Natalie and Bernie, played by Ciara Mackey, Eve Kitchingman and Sarah Gardiner. They all both look and sound the part and have a great synergy, and they could happily form a band by themselves and sail off on a concert tour of their own.
Tim Blazdell’s set is a chameleon, providing believable and grubbily atmospheric interiors and exteriors. There is a great deal of detail in the design, much of which is a little swamped on the Empire’s immense stage. In fact, although the large cast do well to fill the space with movement, there is a feeling that the whole production could find a lot more soul in its storytelling in a more intimate theatre. As it is, playing into the gaping maw of the Empire’s amphitheatre of an auditorium, the focus is entirely on the music. Rory Madden’s sound design keeps everything balanced well so that we can enjoy the vocal and instrumental performances, whilst Jason Taylor’s lighting gradually shifts from theatrical in the early scenes to more of an arena gig look as the show progresses.
This is an evening of nostalgia that places all its bets on a strong hand of songs that have long been standards. As a piece of musical theatre it leaves a few things to be desired, but as a dramatised concert it ticks all the boxes. The Monday night audience heeds the theatre’s exhortations to let everyone enjoy it by ‘ensuring that the only entertainment comes from the professionals on stage’, but there is ample opportunity for everyone to get up on their feet and join in at the end, with a whopping encore medley that receives a rapturous reception.
The Commitments is at Liverpool Empire until Saturday 22nd April and then continues this national tour with dates booking at 10 further venues to 1st July.
Star rating: 3½ stars
Review by Nigel Smith
