Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments readies for Palace premiere

As previously tipped, the stage adaptation of Roddy Doyle‘s The Commitments, directed by Jamie Lloyd, is readying to premiere at the West End’s Palace Theatre, where it’s due to open later this year, following the departure of current resident Singin’ in the Rain and the just-announced summer season of Derren Brown‘s latest live show Infamous.

A media launch, attended by Lloyd and Roddy Doyle, was originally scheduled for Wednesday 17 April, but it has been postponed due to Margaret Thatcher’s funeral next week. It will now take place at the Palace Theatre on Tuesday 23 April 2013, when full dates and further creative team details will be announced.

The 1987 novel The Commitments was the first in Irish writer Roddy Doyle’s Dublin-set Barrytown Trilogy, which continued with The Snapper (1990) and The Van (1991). Jimmy Rabbitte wants to form and manage the world’s greatest band, and it’s got to be a soul band. But unlike his idols, such as James Brown and Aretha Franklin, Jimmy and the unemployed young people he recruits, are all white. They find their sound and some success, but then egos start to clash.

Alan Parker’s 1991 film version of The Commitments became a cult international phenomenon, and spawned a hit soundtrack, which included versions of some of the soul classics performed in the film, including “Mustang Sally”, “Try a Little Tenderness”, “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”, “Dark End of the Street”, “Chain of Fools” and “In the Midnight Hour”.

Currently at the Palace, Singin’ in the Rain concludes on 8 June 2013 and is followed by Derren Brown’s Infamous from 24 June to 17 August 2013.