The Commitments
I'd heard a lot of good things about The Commitments from various sources, and so I was really looking forward to seeing it. I was especially excited to see Sarah O'Connor in something else, as I really loved her Eponine. As it turned out, neither Sarah nor Killian Donnelly, the other performer I wanted to see, were on tonight. I don't have a problem with understudies (most of my favourites are understudies), but it was a little disappointing, especially since there was no announcement/insert/posting that there would be understudies on. Anyway, onto the show.
I wasn't a fan. I'm not sure where all the glowing reviews were coming from, because I was bored to death for most of the show. It's not really my kind of music, but it wasn't the music that was the issue. I thought every song was entertaining and well performed. All of the actors did well in their roles, had great voices, and lots of energy. I'm not actually sure which understudies were on for Imelda and Deco (it wasn't posted or announced anywhere!), but they both did a good job.
What really got me was the story. There wasn't one. It seemed as if the writers had made a half-hearted attempt to fashion a story that would get certain songs into certain parts of the show. The songs had no significance to their placement in the show, there really was no purpose to anything… it just didn't make sense. It would've been better if they'd removed all attempt at storytelling and just done it as a concert.
The worst part for me was the ending. They made everyone stand up, and then proceeded to perform four songs (or maybe three long ones?). I wanted to stay seated as I'm fighting an ankle injury at the moment and the day of walking had done it in, but I couldn't see anything. Then I proceeded to get elbowed (nearly in the face a few times) by the obese woman standing next to me. Not a fun experience.
While the performances are strong, The Commitments lacks drive and purpose. It's a concert that wastes a good half hour on poorly thought out, incomprehensible (maybe that's just me; I'm terrible with Irish accents but this show seemed particularly bad for it) dialogue that has no impact on the main issue (the music). I definitely would not recommend it, unless you are a fan of the movie or that kind of music in general.
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