Is the R&B band The Commitments a case of life imitating art or art imitating life?

Originally cast to play musicians in the blockbuster movie, the eight actors proved so popular, finding life beyond the film, that they've become one of the hottest acts in soul music since The Blues Brothers.

The Commitments blow into the NAC with the Barra MacNeils on March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day, part of their cross-Canada promotional tour for their new third album, Committed To Soul.

Billed as "the guerrillas of soul," The Commitments include three of the original eight members: Ken McCluskey, who played the character Derek Scull;, Dick Massey a.k.a. Billy "The Animal" Mooney; and Dave Finnegan as Mickah Wallace.

"We're bigger than the movie now," says guitar-player and vocalist McCluskey.

It's a line vaguely reminiscent of John Lennon's claim that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus."

But no less ambitious.

In 1990, McCluskey was a frustrated musician in Dublin's rough and tumble north end, scraping a living together as a butcher of cheap meats.

Then, he saw a classified looking for local rhythm and blues players for a new feature film and decided to audition.

A RAY OF HOPE

Multiply that story eight times and you have Alan Parker's 1991 film The Commitments about Dublin youth who form a R&B band.

"I thought the movie was about me when I first read the script at the audition," says McCluskey from his North Dublin home. "The movie was very similar to my life."

The reason why the movie did so well was that it struck a chord with young and old alike at a time of high unemployment. "For us, it was a way off the dole, it gave us some hope. We were living the audience's dreams, our dreams of success. Fans really relate to us."

Miramax Films has just optioned a script for a sequel to the original film, to begin shooting in 2004.

Joining the original trio are Michael Aherne, Robert Arkins and Johnny Murphy, who played Joey "The Lips" Fagan in the film.

Making up the rest of the band is horn-players Ryan Quigley and Fintan Jones, bass player Alan Niblock and pianist Daniel Antoine.

Karen Coleman and Madeleine Pritchard providing backup vocals on soul standards Try A Little Tenderness, Mustang Sally, Hold On, I'm Coming and the Aretha Franklin's anthem, (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman.

A PINT OR TWO

"We'll play anywhere, as long as we're close to a pint or two at the end of the night," laughs McCluskey. "And it being St. Patrick's, I'm sure we'll end up at a couple good Irish pubs in Ottawa."