The West End is always full of shows closing, some departures are barely noticed, some deserve to close but Shaftesbury Avenue is going to be poorer when THE COMMITMENTS finishes its two year at the Palace Theatre on November 1st where it’s played more than 1,000 performances since it originally opened on October 8, 2013.I missed it when it premièred but caught up with it the other night and can honestly say it’s probably the most fun you can have in Soho with your clothes on!
As you may know it’s based on a much loved film of the same name directed By Alan Parker, adapted from a best-selling novel by Roddy Doyle. The plot’s described as concerning Jimmy, a young, self-proclaimed promoter “who decides to organize an R&B group to fill the musical void in his home town of Dublin, Ireland”
"The band comes together but ends up consisting entirely of white musicians who have little experience with the genre. Even though their raw talent and lofty aspirations gain the group notoriety, the pitfalls of fame began to tear at their new-found friendships as they prepare for their big show"
Sometimes when a musical is ending its life in the West End the producers compromise on the quality of the cast, which changes ever six months or so. Not in this case. I can’t imagine it being better performed than by the current line up, mostly under 30, mostly powerful singers, unless required to be otherwise, many of whom play the glorious soul music on live instruments.
OK the plot’s a little thin; the band forms, everyone fights and hates the lead singer, all the girls sleep with the enigmatic trumpet player, everything finally comes together. The attempt to bump up an attraction between the promoter and the hottest female backing singer into a love story is a bit feeble as are the politics but in a very basic way it’s a celebration of friendship and, of course, soul music.
As with a TV show like GLEE you have to suspend your cynicism and believe the characters really can just pick up instruments and immediately be amazing performers. And they really are. Belting out fantastic songs like "KNOCK ON WOOD", "SATISFACTION" & "TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS".
Thankfully they’re not shoehorned into the plot in the style of MAMMA MIA, they’re usually just presented as the band rehearsing or playing one of their gloriously chaotic gigs.
Director Jamie Lloyd admirably succeeds in keeping a rough edge to everything despite the posh West End address and by the end you’ll find yourself up on your feet and dancing along
Director Jamie Lloyd admirably succeeds in keeping a rough edge to everything despite the posh West End address and by the end you’ll find yourself up on your feet and dancing along as if it’s the best pub gig you’ve ever been to.
Don’t miss it!
Musicals, of course, are what powers London’s West End and make it the multimillion pound industry that it is but until recently not enough attention was being paid to creating new ones and we were completely dependent on importing the latest Broadway hits.