Review of "The Commitments" at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

As a fan of Nigel Pivaro (mainly famous for his role of Terry Duckworth in Coronation St) I was very interested in seeing him live on stage in ‘The Commitments’ at The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton.

(Having seen the film only once, I have to confess to not remembering much about the story itself, but enjoying the soundtrack). I have to say I was instantly a lot more impressed than I was expecting to be right from the start. The Irish accents, musically humorous nods to the 1986 setting, and amazing sets gave the show version an instant appeal and I knew we were in for a treat.

Nigel Pivaro didn’t disappoint and was actually playing a dual role of the character Jimmy’s Dad and a grumpy but funny caretaker at a Community Centre!

Myself and the audience warmed to the characters. A highlight for me being “Joey the Lips”, played by Stuart Reid, who instantly oozed a kind of “love to hate” charisma.

Credit must also be given to James Deegen who was the alternate for Ian McIntosh at this particular performance as Deco, who captivated us with his amazing vocals.

Just as the band in the story improves, the music gets stronger and stronger as it goes on and ends in a spectacular crescendo. My own personal favourites were “You Keep me Hangin On”, “Mustang Sally” and “Try a Little Tenderness”.

This is a proper feel good show that got us out of our seats dancing in enjoyment. I would highly recommend it to lift the spirits.

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