‘The Commitments’ has rolled into Edinburgh, playing the Edinburgh Playhouse until Saturday 3rd December. Based on Roddy Doyle’s novel and 1991 motion picture, ‘The Commitments’ follows a riotous Irish band whose talent is compromised by the bandmate’s rocky relationships.
This is very much an ensemble lead production where each cast member is key in delivering to the spectacle and sound of ‘The Commitments’. Undoubtedly Ian McIntosh delivers a stand-out performance with his incredible vocals as Deco. With Ciara Mackey as Imelda, Eve Kitchingman as Natalie and Sarah Gardiner as Bernie supplying amazing vocals as the Comittettes.
James Killeen supplies the main structure of the story as Jimmy, the frustrated and frantic manager of the band. Ed Thorpe brilliantly takes on a multitude of roles, most prominently, Jimmy’s Da. Michael Mahony rips up his guitar as Outspan. Guy Freeman makes the playhouse rumble with his bass as Derek. Ryan Kelly as Billy smashes the drums. Connor Litten (Dean) and Stephen O’Rian (James) both supply great instrumental accompaniment for the band. Stuart Reid supplies laughs as Joey The Lips. However, undoubtedly the funniest and most raucous character is Ronnie Yorke as Mickah. The physicality and energy from Ronnie was brilliant to watch unfold.
Other members of the ensemble are James Deegan, Joshua Barton, Colm Gleeson, Callum Martin, Alice Croft and Maryann Lynch.
Roddy Doyle’s book for this musical features a brilliant concept, and many characters which the audience connect to, however the story as a whole is rather flimsy and the ending is very abrupt. You feel there should be more, especially with the length of the musical. The end product is more like a concert with some dialogue, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you can’t help but feel that there was potential for more with these characters. Andrew Linnie’s direction energizes the scenes while also really allowing the characters to shine through the music, utilizing the performances to deepen the portrayal of conflicts, romance or other scenarios through the music. Tim Blazdell’s set design transports the audience to 1980s Dublin, with a gritty feel and it is a high production standard. Plus, the set is very versatile in aptly shifting the audience between settings. This is complemented by Alice Lessing’s costume design and Jason Taylor’s lighting design. George Francis’ musical direction blasts these iconic musical hits into the Playhouse auditorium with a hell of a lot of energy, and they sound superb.
‘The Commitments’ is a fun musical packed with excellent hits, however it feels more like a concert than a piece of musical theatre and the overall story doesn’t quite pay off.
Get your tickets for ‘The Comittments’ here:
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-commitments/edinburgh-playhouse/
Theatre Scotland 
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