Coronation Street legend Terry Duckworth swaps cobbles for Northampton stage during The Commitments six-night run at Royal & Derngate Theatre

A telly soap legend will join the cast of iconic musical The Commitments when it rolls into Northampton next year.

Nigel Pivaro, who spent 25 years playing Coronation Street loveable rogue Terry Duckworth, swaps the famous cobbles for the stage to take on the role of Da

It is 35 years since The Commitments first burst from the pages of Roddy Doyle’s best-selling novel — four years before the hugely successful film version hit the big screens.

The ragtag Irish soul band are returning in an all new stage production, kicking off a huge nine-month tour in September and arriving at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate Theatre for six nights from April 10, 2023.

Nigel, who first joined the Corrie cast as Jack and Vera Duckworth’s wayward son in 1983, said: “I am thrilled to be marking my return to the stage in this production of The Commitments.

“It’s an iconic story that resonates across the years, about people who though distant from the music’s origins find communion and expression in the Motown style. A musical genre which was borne out of oppression and which the characters embrace as their own.”

Featuring an electric playlist, The Commitments showcases more than 20 soul classics performed live on stage, including Mustang Sally, Try A Little Tenderness, In The Midnight Hour, Knock On Wood and many more!

Nigel added: “The Motown Sound is as vibrant today as it was when it first burst through in the Sixties.”

Author Roddy Doyle, who adapted the novel for stage, added: “I’m delighted that The Commitments are coming back in 2022 and 2023 and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing how Nigel Pivaro tackles the part of Jimmy Rabbitte’s Da.”

This new tour is directed by Andrew Linnie who made his West End debut in the original production in 2013, playing the role of Dean, the band’s sax player.

He then went on to star in the lead role of Jimmy Rabitte in the 2016/2017 UK tour.

The Commitments was due in Northampton during January 2021 but was among the hundreds of shows rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.