The Commitments harness the power of soul for a fun night in Wolverhampton

The Commitments bounded into The Grand Theatre and brought with them Aretha Franklin, Ike and Tina Turner, Sam and Dave, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and many more.

Based on Roddy Doyle's book which is set in the rough and ready Northside of Dublin The Commitments tells the story of how a young man who loves soul creates a soul band out of a bunch of misfits.

The Commitments was also made into a global smash of a movie directed by Alan Parker which helped the Irish Tiger roar in the 1990s.

Lovers of the both the book and the film might feel the stage show leaves a lot of the desperation and rawness which made both successful.

However, the various sexual terms used in the first five minutes did show the stage show still kept a bit of an edge.

The use of various other songs of the 1980s like Relax, Don't You Want Me Baby and other naff ditties proved the comedy highlight of the play.

There is not the time for character exploration in a stage show if the cast have to belt out ten songs in two hours and twenty minutes.

Joey the Lips has some of the greatest stories ever put to paper in the book but on stage he was reduced to a god-bothering lothario without giving us the insight of what chat-up lines he has to be so successful with the ladies.

Ex Coronation Street badboy Nigel Pivaro is always good value on stage with comedy timing learnt at the feet of Jack and Vera Duckworth.

The plot was discarded in the third act for the music, but what music it is, those soul songs created all those years ago still have the power to send a tingle down the spine and get audience members shouting for more.

However, The Commitments is all about the music, and the cast performed some of the greatest songs ever written with energy and emotion.

A night with The Commitments will always be good fun, because, after all, they have excellent taste in music.