Soul musical The Commitments on the road to Southsea, Brighton and Southampton

Now the world's “hardest working and most explosive” soul band are set to return in an all new-stage production. Dates include October 3-8 at Southsea’s Kings Theatre; March 27-April 1, Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre; and July 3-8 at Theatre Royal Brighton.

The show will star Coronation Street’s Nigel Pivaro, who appeared in the ITV soap between 1983-2012 as the lovable rogue Terry Duckworth. He will be swapping the cobbles for the stage and performing the role of Da in the production. Nigel 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 born 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 60s.”

This new tour for 2022-23 is directed by Andrew Linnie. Andrew 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 take the lead role of Jimmy Rabitte in the 2016-2017 UK tour. Joining the cast as Deco is Olivier Award nominee Ian McIntosh. Ian 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 critical acclaim and enjoyed a record-breaking two-year residency at the Palace Theatre. After which, it hit the road for a major tour throughout 2016 and 2017. The Commitments musical has been adapted from the novel by Booker prize-winning author Roddy Doyle. 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 many more!

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.