Date of performance – 25th May 2023
Venue – Wales Millennium Centre
After almost ten years of theatre trips largely dictated by myself and Grandma (who has sadly passed away now), I had decided that it was my Grandpa’s turn to choose our next show. As he’s the main person who accompanies me, I don’t want to abuse this privilege by making it all about me – like a 21st century recantation of Verruca Salt. His choice – ‘The Commitments’, because he enjoys the 1991 film. I’d never seen it – heck, I didn’t really know anything about it apart from Mustang Sally (I have really fond memories of myself and my younger brother belting it out from the back of our grandparents’ car) and the fact it’s set in Ireland. Also, I was still having Jersey Boys withdrawal symptoms (considerably worsened when, pre – show, they started blasting out JB songs in the foyer!). However, I feel I’m open to seeing most things, so off we went to catch its’ latest tour in Cardiff!
Story
Closely based on Alan Parker’s award – winning 1991 film of the same name, the story of The Commitments is a pretty simple one. Local Irish lad and music aficionado Jimmy Rabbitte dreams of forming the ‘hardest working band in the world’ in his native Ireland. After placing an ad in the paper and hosting a disastrous round of auditions in his father’s living room (the way his was played out in the show was hilarious and a personal highlight), Jimmy just decides to recruit friends, and others he encounters on the street – and soon enough his new band, ‘The Commitments,’ is complete! As you’d expect from though, it isn’t all plain sailing and the gang of (talented) misfits have to overcome relationship struggles, extreme arrogance and a fair amount of rough – and – tumble disagreements in their journey to becoming the finest soul band that Ireland has ever seen.
Cast
The incredibly hard – working cast (some of whom actually hailing from Ireland, therefore lending an extra touch of authenticity), were all supremely talented; but top performance for me came from Ben Morris as egoistical lead – singer “Deco” Cuffe; by far the most talented member of the band. Trouble is, Deco knows this a bit too well, so it also makes him the most unlikeable. Morris did this character justice, being wonderfully arrogant and crude towards his fellow band members (fuelling the most dramatic moments in the show), while possessing a truly stunning ‘sit down and take notice’ voice that you couldn’t help but listen too. His renderings of ‘Mustang Sally’ and ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ during the epic concert – esque finale were particular showstoppers – but really, we all knew we were in safe hands every time he opened his mouth to sing.
I also really enjoyed James Killen who had Irish charm aplenty and a wonderfully deadpan sense of humour as no – nonsense band leader/manager Jimmy. Killen particularly shone in the comedic department when his Jimmy finally showed off his own vocal chops with an out – of tune rendition of ‘Mr Pitiful,’ after which he turned to the audience and uttered that he whished he could ‘feckin’ sing.’ The other male members of the band were also great, showcasing some rather vibrant characters (particularly Stuart Reid as ‘Joey The Lips’ who lays claim to playing with many a musical icon, and Ronnie Yorke as menacing band bouncer ‘Mickah’) and crucially working well together. Hats off also to the ladies of the group – Ciara Mackey (‘Imelda’), Eve Kitchingman (‘Natalie’), and Sarah Gardiner (‘Bernie’) who produced sweet sounds as backup singers – and showed off impressive vocal chops of their own when allowed to perform as an all – female trio. My final named mention goes to ‘Coronation Street‘ star Nigel Pivaro who put in a hilarious but all – too – brief turn as Jimmy’s Da.
Music, Set, Costumes and Technicalities
Besides the uniformly strong cast, the other biggest strength of this production has to be the music. Despite being set in the 80s,’ the toe – tapping jukebox score largely comes from the 60s’ – specifically 60s’ soul and Motown (and being the old – school music lover I am, this was right up my street)! It was a real treat to hear brilliantly performed renditions of hit after hit after hit; ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine,’ ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)’, ‘Reach Out (I’ll Be There,’ ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone,’ ‘Uptight (Everything’s Alright)’ – just to name but a few! True to the time period of the show, there was a smattering of 80s’ hits too (e.g. ‘Don’t You Want Me’), and the inclusion of not one but TWO Tina Turner classics were really appreciated considering her unfortunate passing last week (A rip – roaring rendition of ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ during the finale was particularly well received). We were also impressed that the main cast played instruments LIVE throughout (something that would have enhanced Jersey Boys) – really earning their name as the ‘hardest – working band in the world.’
Tech wise, this production was generally a very slick affair (no lighting blips as far as I could see), and the graffiti – fuelled, urban set helped to fully immerse the audience into the setting. There did seem to be a few issues with the sound however – I felt the music was drowning out the cast members in certain number, but I’m not sure whether this was to do with the sound mixing, or general direction
The JazzyHands Verdict
There was a lot of very good things about this show, and it all builds up to a rip – roaring concert esque finale that is truly a masterclass in show finales (breaking the fourth wall, audience interactivity, the performance – I loved it all.). In fact, all of it seemed like a staged concert regardless of the drama – paced storyline. I felt that Roddy Doyle’s script was a bit disconnected, particularly in the second act (I could gather the band finally made it to the big time from that finale, but what happened afterwards? Did they remain successful?), and much of the dialogue was delivered really quickly in ultra – thick Irish accents which, though authentic, made it a bit difficult to follow along. Sometimes, I simply had no idea what on earth was going on! It was a lot of fun though, and the majority of the audience seemed to love it (I had never heard such deafening applause as I did that night); it was virtually impossible not to be up on your feet dancing by the end! So if you’re a fan of the film (though I’ve never seen it, so I can’t comment on the similarities) or fancy a night of feel – good, soulful entertainment led by a brilliant cast of actor – musicians – I’d recommend checking it out! Just be sure to save your singing till that finale!