The Commitments was one of the great films of the 1990s - and is one of those movies that you can watch time and again. The stage version has now arrived in Ipswich bringing all the fun and excitment of the original to the Regent.

For anyone who has lived under a stone for the last 32 years, The Commitments tells the story of a talented but ill-disciplined band that brings the sound of 60s soul and R&B to the north Dublin suburbs.

The stage show brings all the excitement and joy of the movie to the theatre - injecting it with the energy you can get from a live performance.

I've loved recent musical films like the Mamma Mias, The Greatest Showman and Sunshine on Leith - but I've never seen the audience up on their feet dancing around Cineworld. That's what you get from The Commitments on stage at the Regent.

Okay, so the music isn't original - it's all standard classics from the 60s and early 70s - but that absolutely doesn't matter.

The story stays very true to the film - although there is much less dialogue than director Alan Parker treated us to. There is far more emphasis on the great musical numbers.

Ipswich Star: Lead singer Deco (Ian McIntosh) in The Commitments.Lead singer Deco (Ian McIntosh) in The Commitments. (Image: Ellie Kurttz)

Ian McIntosh as the brilliant but difficult lead singer Deco and James Killeen as Jimmy are the glue that holds the show together.

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Ciara Mackey, Eve Kitchingham and Sarah Gardiner as the Commitmentettes bring a real fresh feel to material we have all known for decades while Stuart Reid as the worldly-wise Joey is fantastic.

Ipswich Star: The Commitmentettes in full voice at the Ipswich Regent.The Commitmentettes in full voice at the Ipswich Regent. (Image: Ellie Kurttz)

The Commitments is just one of a number of big musical producations heading to the Regent this year.

The audience - made up of people of all ages - seemed to really lap it up. It's a great show for the whole family.