The Commitments at Bristol Hippodrome - Theatre Review
Posted on: 2017-02-22
Our rating:
The Bristol Hippodrome was alive with soul music and a feel good atmosphere last night as smash hit West End musical The Commitments graced the stage.
Based on Roddy Doyle’s book of the same name, this popular production is set in Dublin in 1986 and is all about a young working class music fan called Jimmy (played by Andrew Linnie) who forms a band full of a bunch of amateur musicians with the purpose of making this area of Ireland a soulful place.
You see the hilarious auditions process as unique characters put themselves forward and then you get to know the chosen line-up for the band, which is full of members with very different personalities and styles.
.jpg "The Commitments at Bristol Hippodrome - Deco")
It’s very humorous to watch the group go through the rehearsal process as tantrums are thrown when things don’t go quite to plan and it quickly becomes apparent that the lead singer Deco (performed by Brian Gilligan) has an ego bigger than this planet.
They improve their sound vastly and this unfolds before your eyes but then relationships in The Commitments really start to go downhill, resulting in cat fights between the women and punches being thrown amongst some of the men.
.jpg "The Commitments at Bristol Hippodrome - Jimmy's Dad")
A real highlight of this version of the show is the addition of Kevin Kennedy (best known for his time as Curly Watts on Coronation Street) as he plays the part of Jimmy’s dad expertly. He’s a grumpy father who is always shouting ‘turn that music down’ (we have all been there) but with expected profanities added in. Kevin raised a lot of belly laughs from the audience and even though his part was not a main one, the scenes he were in were arguably some of the funniest.
Two other performers who really stood out from the crowd were Alex McMorran (who played the part of the American smoothie called Joey The Lips) and Leah Penston (who was the love interest of all the men called Imelda). They both commanded your attention and Leah’s voice was heavenly.
.jpg "The Commitments at Bristol Hippodrome - Imelda")
All of the cast were faultless and the fact that many of them have actually appeared in the West End production of The Commitments really shows. The movement from one song to the next was seamless, smooth and consistent and the pace was never broken.
If you are into your music, this is a must see for you as it’s packed with more than 20 classic soul songs which are performed live on stage. These include Night Train, Try A Little Tenderness, River Deep, Mountain High, In The Midnight Hour, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Mustang Sally, I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Reach Out.
You might have read the book and seen the film but judging by the rapturous applause at the end of the night, it’s also well worth seeing the theatre production.
4 out of 5 stars
The Commitments is on at the Bristol Hippodrome until this Saturday 25th of February - Get your tickets here
All photo credits to Johan Persson
Article by:
Kelly worked as a journalist for the BBC for 12 years before she changed careers and went into the field of marketing. Having worked at BBC 6 Music for several years, she is passionate about many different genres of sound. Her other interests include theatre, comedy, books, food and days out with the family (she has a young daughter who she describes as a "whirlwind of fun.") Kelly is married to Vik who is a true Bristolian to the core! She is also studying nutritional therapy.
