I think that I will need to reassess my attitude regarding stage musicals adapted from films. Having seen a couple over the past two weeks without witnessing the cinema versions I didn’t realise that the plot purposely comes a distant second in importance to the music. The musicals I have watched at the Grand which were written especially for the stage have been far superior. The reason for my epiphany is that The Commitments was one of my favourite films but this production has turned a witty script by Dick Clements and Ian La Frenais, in conjunction with the writer of the book on which it was based, Roddy Doyle, into a glorified juke box musical. Not only that but it has just about ruined the amazing songs by trivialising them.
This is what is left of the story.
Jimmy, a working class Dubliner, decides to form a soul band which he can manage so puts an advert in the local paper. He holds auditions and ends up with five local lads and three girl backing singers. He is then approached by a trumpet player, Joey the Lips, who purports to have been working in America playing with James Brown and other top souls stars. His real talent, however, is working his way through the backing singers which causes him to cross Mikah, a local skinhead who Jimmy has hired as ‘security’. The various tensions within the band keep boiling over and the group splits up before making any money.
The film concentrated on the characters in depth and this is where the comedy lay, here, however, they are treated as lovable Irish stereotypes which makes the whole thing frothy. There is no mention of the loan shark, Duffy, who lends them the money for the instruments and adds a darker edge to the plot when they default. Even Mikah for all his apparent menace is shown as a caricature skinhead with a soft side.
I have absolutely no problem with this transformation in the plot and script, but what did hit me between the eyes was the way in which the comedy element spilled over into the music. This was always going to occur in the beginning when the ragged bunch of wannabe players were practising and getting the set together, but what happened was that every song in the show was lampooned, something which I found to be bordering on the offensive. Of the twenty-two songs listed in the programme, not one was performed straight!
Early on in the piece, soul music is described as a double-edged sword being both entertaining and political so to then treat the songs of Otis Redding and James Brown as though they were the hits of Mr Blobby or The Smurfs was beyond the pale. If the words were not being changed to something ‘humorous’, then Mikah was cavorting to detract from the sentiment of the songs. On one occasion, a gig in a club turned into farce when a ‘dancer’ was doing over-the-top dad moves. Soul music is just that, music from the soul, and whilst there is a pop element to the Motown stuff, you don’t want people taking the Mickey out of heart rending songs like Try A Little Tenderness or Mr Pitiful.
The acting was in keeping with the begorra stereotypical Irish theme and the musicianship superb. The band members were augmented by five additional players who bulked out the sound very well, recreating the atmosphere of the original tracks, despite the embellishments. Stuart Reid as Joey The Lips, an ambiguous soubriquet as he was the trumpet player and serial snogger, was the epitome of a musician stuck in a time warp with his future firmly behind him.
Ben Morris as Deco, the lead singer of the band – although James Deegan fills that role in some performances – handled most of the songs very well which was good as they varied widely in emotion and tempo. The backing singers; Ciara Mackey, as Imelda; Eve Kitchingman, Natalie and Sarah Gardiner, Bernie, comprised a tight unit befitting the music.
Jimmy, played by James Killeen, a dead ringer for Stephen Mangan, was the character who held the piece together and he did so extremely well, with his Da, Nigel Pivaro, best known for his role as Terry Duckworth in Coronation Street, adding a laconic vibe to the proceedings by sitting in his armchair drinking beer and dropping the odd snide comment.
The set was very inventive being a solid back wall with three large doors at the front which, when opened, revealed the local pub, Jimmy’s front room with Da in the chair and the third held the drum kit which was wheeled out when needed.
I suppose that I was such a fan of the film I was always going to be disappointed but I wasn’t prepared to be so let down. When I said that no number was left unsullied I could be wrong because at the fall of the curtain the band came back on stage to play some more great tunes and so I was dancing so enthusiastically I don’t know whether they were messing about or not.
Ironically, during the bus ride home, I was musing on the evening and realised that there was one glaring omission from the play list – Respect. How appropriate.
The Commitments is at Leeds Grand Theatre until Saturday, 24th June. To book tickets and to see what else is coming, please go to https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/?theatre=leeds-grand-theatre
Feature image from Leeds Grand Theatre. All photographs by Ellie Kurttz
Tyke It To The Limit 