As part of its nine-month tour around the UK and Ireland, award-winning musical, The Commitments took to the stage for its opening night at the Grand Opera House, on Monday. We hear from Your Local Link’s very own Miriam, who was lucky enough to catch this spectacular show:
The Commitments, based on the Roddy Doyle novel tells the story of quick-witted Jimmy Rabbitte (played by James Killeen), an unemployed Dublin lad, who calls together members of the Irish working class to pull together a jazz band. Throughout the performance, the audience is taken along for a rollercoaster ride, as we closely follow the group’s journey of drama, romance, and glamour – from performing in community centres to securing their success with a record deal.
It must be said that this particular production directed by Andrew Linnie was impressive from start to finish. Featuring over 20 Motown and Memphis soul classics, including ‘Heard it Through The Grapevine’, ‘Bring It On Home’ and ‘Proud Mary’, each song was performed on stage by such a lovely array of talented musicians and singers including a sax player, a drummer, and a bass player that got the band rocking as well as everyone in the audience. A personal favourite was the closing performance of ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ which certainly got us all up clapping, dancing, and singing. The atmosphere in the auditorium was fantastic!
All of the performers did such a fantastic job, but a special mention must go to Jimmy’s Da (played by Corrie star, Nigel Pivaro) who captured the hearts of the audience straight away. Ian Mcintosh also played a very noteworthy Deco, his impressive voice and strong stage presence gave us goosebumps.
A fantastic performance overall, The Commitments brought with it plenty of toe-tapping and certainly left theatre-goers with a buzz, as they made their way back home.
Fancy an evening out? Performances of The Commitments are due to run up until the 12th of November at the Grand Opera House. For more information, visit https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york/.
Add a comment