CAPTURING the accent of 1980s-set The Commitments is easy for Dublin-born Brian Gilligan. Capturing a ragamuffin role in this musical adaptation of Roddy Doyle's book seems somewhat more difficult for someone who started out as an opera singer with the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

"That's a great question. It's kind of funny because I trained as secondary school teacher initially, and then went into music full-time. The plan was to get into opera and that took an interesting turn because in my final year at uni I managed to get an agent in London, in 2013. He told me that The Commitments was casting in the West End and he knew I had some kind of actor-muso stuff, and played some instruments, and I ended up being offered a role," he explains.

Gilligan has now gone down in West End history as the man who was cast as Billy "The Animal" Mooney, The Commitments drummer, only to end up as the show's frontman Deco when the director just happened to hear him singing for fun while on the stairwell at The Palace Theatre.

"Three years ago this career was only something that I mildly considered and now I'm working in it full-time and it's brilliant. When I got the first role I had only done drumming as a hobby. I wasn't someone who played in bands or as a session musician. An awful lot of stuff I did was self-taught using an cheap electronic drumkit. When I got the role of Billy, I threw myself into learning from others, watching videos and taking lessons. I have kept it up and love the drums very much," he says.

The singing in the stairwell story leaves Gilligan groping a little when he's asked if he can remember the tune that changed his career.

"Oh my God, I don't know. I was singing something mad like a Jeff Buckley song and who can sing a song the same way that he does? I remember walking past the director and thinking that I'd completely embarrassed myself. But I was asked to audition for cover Deco and after loads of rehearsals I got a call offering me the part, which was huge. I'd only been in London a year and for that to happen was really phenomenal. I've been on a mad journey since then, but such a funny one as well," he says.

The journey currently involves visits to Newcastle Theatre Royal next week and York Grand Opera House the following week.

"All the places we are going on tour are all new to me apart from Newcastle. Me and three close friends went up to Newcastle as part of a wedding celebration and it was a bender of a visit a couple of years back. It was hilarious and all I can remember is that everyone we met was really cool. Naturally enough we ended up at The Gate and the place is similar to Dublin because it's quite small, has industrial areas and is right next to a gorgeous river. I love how easy-going and relaxed people are up in Tyneside," Gilligan says.

Roddy Doyle's book/film/musical all come from the DNA of working class youngsters from an industrial city trying to make it big in the music world.

"It comes out of the DNA of a gritty working class culture and that's especially true to places like Dublin and Newcastle when you go through hard times. The Durham area was also similar when Maggie Thatcher was coming down with an iron fist. People had to rise up and find the positives and the light in the cracks. The Commitments is a light in the cracks story while being very funny and entertaining. I think places like Newcastle will be able to relate to this story," says Gilligan.

He admits that his starring role is physically exhausting as well as a little emotionally draining because he's having to be away from his fiancee, just before the pair marry in June. The pair have lived together for three years, but are now trying to plan a wedding "while I'm traisping up and down the UK, but she's been so supportive because we're both actors.

"Playing Deco in the show has been the most challenging and rewarding role I've ever had, just because the pay-off is so exceptional. I was very aloof to the proper singer lifestyle of getting sufficient rest and watching what you're eating and drinking. Essentially, it's the same as being an athlete. You have to train and you have to get a good night's sleep and a lot rests on your stamina and health. I think Deco is the biggest and most demanding role that I've done, but I'm still really enjoying doing it.

"When I opened as Deco for the first two weeks, in the second seven days the theatre had to shut for three days to trim the set down to make it more manageable. On the Thursday night I thought, 'I can treat myself to a few pints' and I woke up the next day with a hangover and no voice. I thought, 'If I'm going to do this properly I really need to concentrate on keeping up the consistency'. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do six shows a week if I wanted to. Once I learned to appreciate the rewards of kicking the nights' out to the kerb, it definitely paid off."

The cast includes Andrew Linnie as band manager Jimmy Rabbitte, Kevin Kennedy, who plays Jimmy's Da, is best-known as Curly Watts in Corrie. Since leaving Wetherfield he has regularly appeared in theatre productions including: Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and We Will Rock You.

"It might sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, but I'm the only cast member from north Dublin where the book is based. Kevin is fantastic and he admits he found the accent difficult, but his parents were from Dublin and he went back there to work on it and lose some of the Mancunian twang... and he's pulling in the Corrie die-hards too," says Gilligan.

Booker Prize-winning Roddy Doyle created the adaptation, which is directed by C Jay Ranger. It features more than 20 classic soul songs such as Night Train, Try A Little Tenderness, River Deep, Mountain High, In The Midnight Hour, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Save Me, Mustang Sally, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Reach Out, Uptight, Knock On Wood and I Can't Turn You Loose.

"Roddy was with us for the rehearsal process because the adaptation of closer to the book than the film. The best thing that we can ever hear from him is when he says, 'This is like staring at the 1980s in Dublin'. He continues to have a big over-look on what is played out."

n Monday, February 6 to Saturday, February 11. Newcastle Theatre Royal. Box Office: 08448-112121 or theatreroyal.co.uk

Monday, February 13 to Saturday, February 18. York Grand Opera House. 0844-871-3024 or atgtickets.com/york