By Georgia Ferda

The Commitments kicked off their Welsh stop-off on their tour this Monday and got the whole crowd singing and clapping along. An incredibly interactive show with great respect for a good audience, The Commitments is a silly but also politically apt musical that is definitely worth the watch.

With an intimate cast and versatile set, the real magic is created by the performers and their back-and-forth witty communication throughout the show. Snide remarks and insight into the characters really help the storyline to shine and make you feel like you’re actually in Dublin in the 80’s. 

Protagonist Deco, played by Ben Morris, is hateful but loveable all at once, with an incredible singing voice that makes his character’s faults seem bearable (which the band seem to think too). The rest of the cast had witty and hilarious remarks that cracked up the crowd, especially Joey “The Lips” Fagan, played by Stuart Reid, and Mickah, played by Ronnie Yorke.

My absolute favourite part of the musical actually happened to be at the very end – when the storyline came to a mix of a happy and sad resolution and the audience was encouraged to get out of their seats, sing, dance and clap along. Deco (Ben Morris) and Jimmy, (James Killeen), helped to create an immersive and interactive atmosphere, personalising the show to incorporate the Welsh location. A final burst of energy completely rounded the story off and left the audience very happy to have been involved in such a production.

The Commitments are gracing Cardiff’s stage until the 27th of May. You can still get your tickets on the WMC’s website here.