The cast of The Commitments, opening at the Palace Theatre on 8 October
As in the plot of Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments, the cast of the new musical adaptation – opening at the Palace Theatre on 8 October (with previews from 21 September) – will feature a mix of fresh, young talent, alongside established musical theatre performers. Some members of the ensemble make their West End debuts, while others, who have come through the open audition process, are acting professionally for the first time.
The lead role of Jimmy Rabbitte, the north Dublin soul band’s manager, will be played by Denis Grindel in his West End debut. Grindel is still finishing his stage school dissertation. Having completed a law degree, he was about to sign his contract when he took a late audition for drama school and won a place.
The arrogant but gifted lead singer of the band is Deco, to be played by actor Killian Donnelly (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables). The Commitmentettes, Dublin’s answer to The Supremes, are to be played by three young Dublin girls, all making their West End debuts – Sarah O’Connor, Stephanie McKeon and Jessica Cervi.
Playing the senior musician in the group, the spiritually inspired trumpet player extraordinaire Joey ‘The Lips’ Fagan, is Ben Fox. Actor Sean Kearns is Jimmy Rabbitte’s father.
The Commitments has been adapted for the stage by Booker Prize-winning Doyle, from his original novel. It will be directed by Jamie Lloyd, who recently staged the critically acclaimed Macbeth, and will be packed with classic soul songs including ‘Think’, ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’, ‘Night Train’, ‘In the Midnight Hour’ and ‘Try a Little Tenderness’.
Roddy Doyle says: “I’ve been sitting in rehearsals, watching these terrific young people becoming The Commitments. I’m hearing them sing; I’m watching them play their instruments – and it all makes me very happy and excited. What amuses me most is the fact that only one of them was born when I wrote the novel.”
The Commitments is the story of Jimmy Rabbitte, a young working-class music fan, who shapes an unlikely bunch of amateur musicians into an amazing live act, the finest soul band Dublin has ever produced.
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