Inspired by the Franki Valli musical Jersey Boys, Roddy Doyle is taking a version of his book the Commitments to the West End stage, Sky News reports today (April 23, 2013). The book tells the tale of a group of working class Dubliners who form a soul band. The movie version of the story became a hit in 1991 and will be opening in London’s West End in October.

The cast will be comprised of young Irish actors but fans of the movie should not expect to see any of the original cast reprising any roles, or indeed taking on new ones, largely due to their age. “We're all mortal," the author joked. "And I think most of them accept the fact that they're lacking in hair." The Commitments: The Saviours Of Soul will open at the Palace Theatre in October. Doyle explained how seeing Jersey Boys made him change his mind about musical theatre; a genre he was previously not fond of. “What I loved about it was the songs were terrific,” explained the 54 year-old, “but the songs didn't interrupt the story and the story didn't interrupt the songs. That, above all others, nudged me in the direction I wanted to go.”

The soundtrack for the movie is still a work in progress, are there have reportedly been some issues regarding gaining the rights for some songs, though Doyle said they were “experimenting with which songs are right for the story.” 

Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle: Author of The Commitments