Roddy Doyle & Jamie Lloyd ready to make West End Commitments?

The long-rumoured musical version of Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments is ready to make its West End premiere later this year, according to several insider sources.

Doyle, who wrote the novel in 1987 while working as a Dublin schoolteacher, has been working on the adaptation himself, with Jamie Lloyd (whose Macbeth has just opened at Trafalgar Studios) believed to be confirmed to direct.

The novel – the first part of Doyle’s Barrytown trilogy – tells of a group of unemployed Dubliners who form a soul band.

Alan Parker’s hit 1991 film featured classic hits including “Mustang Sally”, “Chain Of Fools” and “Try A Little Tenderness”.

A new Twitter account – @CommitmentsLDN – states: “They brought soul music to Dublin … Now they’re bringing it to the West End”. It says the production will open in October.