The Commitments at Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday

Review: Monday night

DUBLIN author Roddy Doyle was absolutely on the money when he decided that the group in his 1986 novel The Commitments would be a soul band.

He thought the music would be timeless - and boy was he right.

Fast forward almost 40 years and there's nothing quite like the intro to Mustang Sally to get a crowd on its feet - and The Commitments musical did just that to an energetic and enthusiastic audience at York's Grand Opera House on Monday night.

The musical - revived for a new tour - is in town this week and if you open your window between 7.30pm and 9.30pm you might just hear the Grand Opera House erupting to the sounds of Aretha, Otis, Marvin et al.

And the timing couldn't be better. In a week where the news is full of the climate emergency, the asylum challenge and cost-of-living crisis, who wouldn't welcome a dose of feel-good fun?

Anyone familiar with the novel, or the 1991 film directed by veteran British film director Alan Parker, will know what to expect from the narrative driven by the dreams of Jimmy Rabbitte to quit the nine to five and put together a soul band, The Commitments, "the hardest working band in Dublin".

He recruits a mix of musicians and singers and they begin rehearsals, hoping to hit the big time.

The stage set is suitably grey and rundown, built around a set of apartments with balconies facing the stage and garages on the ground floor. There's a pub too, where we see the band rub along together, but often rubbing each other up the wrong way too.

Coronation Street legend Nigel Pivaro plays Jimmy Rabbitte’s Da.

We watch the band progress, growing more confident and accomplished.

And what a group we have here. Ciara Mackey leads the female trio as Imelda, the "lovely" blonde who all the men in the band fancy. She is outstanding and along with Eve Kitchingham as Natalie and Sarah Gardiner as Bernie are much more than backing singers, often carrying big numbers by themselves, such as the standout Chain of Fools.

There are some big differences from the movie, and the main one is in the casting of the band's lead singer. In the film, Andrew Strong played Deco; he had one helluva voice but with his long red hair and chunky frame was not a traditional leading man.

The Commitments 2022 changes all that. Ian McIntosh takes on the role and skillfully embarks on a journey that takes him from bored factory worker to brilliant front man. By the end of the show, when Ian leads his band in a slick and choreographed rendition of Papa Was A Rolling Stone, a star is born.

As the show ends - a second begins. A long encore brings the entire band on stage for four final songs. The audience are on their feet. Everyone is clapping, dancing and singing along.

It's totally uplifting and sends everyone home with a massive smile on their faces.

The Commitments, the hardest working band in Dublin. Make that York - for this week at least.