Updated: Casting announced for The Commitments

First picture of The Commitments cast

Casting has been announced for Jamie Lloyd's production of The Commitments which opens at the Palace Theatre on Tuesday 8th October 2013 (with previews from 21st September). The Commitments will mark many cast members' West End debuts.

The lead role of Jimmy Rabbitte will be played by 22-year-old Denis Grindel, who is making his West End debut. Denis, from Dublin, studied law but has given it all up to follow his dream of performing in the West End. He beat off several thousand hopefuls who auditioned for Roddy Doyle's new show to land the lead role.

Other cast includes: Killian Donnelly (Deco), Sarah O’Connor (Imelda), Stephanie McKeon (Natalie), Jessica Cervi (Bernie), Ben Fox (Joey ‘The Lips’), Mark Dugdale (Derek), Brian Gilligan (Billy), Andrew Linnie (Dean), Joe Woolmer (Mickah), Matthew Wycliffe (Outspan), Padraig Dooney (Ensemble).

From what we can gather the cast will also feature: Dean Faye, Clodagh Long, John McLarnon, Thomas Snowdon, Sharon Sexton, Ian Mcintosh and Natalie Hope, but this is yet to be confirmed.

The Commitments is the story of Jimmy Rabitte, a young working class music fan, who shapes an unlikely bunch of amateur musicians into an amazing live act, the finest soul band Dublin has ever produced. The show follows the journey of two members of a frustrated synthesiser band – the opening scene has them playing but ignored in a shop window - who turn to Jimmy, the local music expert, for help.

Placing a classified advert in a music paper, Jimmy auditions a number of wannabes before finalising the new line up who he names The Commitments. The humour kicks in as the band get to know each other and their instruments, and proceed through early rehearsals for their first gig. Just as they improve and begin to get a name for themselves they combust. The backing singers are all getting off with the middle aged horn legend, the singer has entered Eurovision and the saxophone player has dangerous leanings towards a jazz career.

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