His Majesty's Theatre set to welcome The Commitments
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An all new stage production of The Commitments is coming to Aberdeen's His Majesty's Theatre in November.
It is 35 years since The Commitments first burst from the pages of Roddy Doyle’s best-selling novel.
The world's hardest working and most explosive soul band are set to return in an all new show which will visit the Granite City between Monday, November 21 and Saturday, November 26.
This major UK and Ireland tour of the smash-hit musical will star Coronation Street legend Nigel Pivaro, who appeared in the hugely popular ITV soap between 1983 to 2012 as the lovable rogue Terry Duckworth.
He will be swapping the cobbles for the stage and performing the role of "Da" in this production.
He said: “I am thrilled to be marking my return to the stage in this production of The Commitments. It's an iconic story that resonates across the years, about people who though distant from the music's origins find communion and expression in the Motown style.
"A musical genre which was borne out of oppression and which the characters embrace as their own. The Motown sound is as vibrant today as it was when it first burst through in the Sixties.”
Roddy Doyle said: “I'm delighted that The Commitments are coming back in 2022 and 2023 and I'm particularly looking forward to seeing how Nigel Pivaro tackles the part of Jimmy Rabbitte's Da.”
The Commitments tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte, a young working-class music fan, who transforms an unlikely bunch of amateur musicians into an amazing live act, which becomes the finest soul band Dublin has ever produced.
Placing a classified advert in a music paper, Jimmy auditions a number of wannabes before finalising the members of his new band, which he names "The Commitments".
This new tour for 2022/23 is directed by Andrew Linnie. He made his West End debut in the original production in 2013, playing the role of Dean, the band’s sax player. He then went on to star in the lead role of Jimmy Rabbitte in the 2016/2017 UK tour.
Joining the cast as Deco is Olivier Award nominee Ian McIntosh. He is no stranger to this role, having previously played Alternate Deco during the original West End run.
Previous credits include Galileo in the UK tour of We Will Rock You, Sid Worley in An Officer and a Gentleman and he was Olivier nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role as Barry in Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. His extensive musical career has also seen him perform in Hair and Can’t Buy Me Love.
Other casting includes James Killeen as Jimmy, Stuart Reid as Joey, Ciara Mackey as Imelda, Michael Mahony as Oustpan, Ryan Kelly as Billy, Conor Litten as Dean, Guy Freeman as Derek, Stephen O’Riain as James, Ronnie Yorke as Mickah, Eve Kitchingman as Natalie and Sarah Gardiner as Bernie. Maryann Lynch, Alice Croft, James Deegan, Callum Martin, Joshua Barton, Ed Thorpe and Colm Gleeson make up the ensemble.
In 2013 The Commitments musical opened in London’s West End to universal critical acclaim and enjoyed a record-breaking two-year residency at the Palace Theatre.
After which, it hit the road for a major tour, invigorating audiences up and down the country throughout 2016 and 2017.
Featuring an electric playlist, The Commitments showcases more than 20 soul classics performed live on stage, including Night Train; Try A Little Tenderness; River Deep, Mountain High; In The Midnight Hour; Papa Was A Rolling Stone; Save Me; Mustang Sally; I Heard It Through The Grapevine; Thin Line Between Love and Hate; Reach Out; Uptight; Knock On Wood; I Can't Turn You Loose and more.
