Only Fools and Horses: The Musical is a 42-carat classic
British comedy just hasn’t been the same since Only Fools and Horses aired its final episode in 2003. John Sullivan’s 22-year-running masterpiece – following the highs and lows of the hard-up Trotter family in Peckham – was the last truly great TV series from a golden era of UK sitcoms.
We’ve arguably yet to see our nation produce anything quite as hilarious and heartwarming on our TVs this side of the millennium, but in the meantime, at least there’s a stage production that resembles the old Peckham magic — just with a bit more singing and dancing than you might remember.
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Only Fools and Horses: The Musical brings wheeler-dealer Del Boy, his perpetually exasperated younger brother Rodney and their culinarily challenged Grandad from screen to stage. The show condenses various scenes across the 64-episode series into a two-hour tale, though it would be slightly reductive to label it a mere “best of” compilation — the show cleverly remixes iconic sequences, lines and characters into new situations and contexts, making much of the decades-old material feel fresh again. Fans will immediately feel right at home during the opening acts, with Del’s market stall banter, Grandad confusing a microwave for a TV, Boycie’s trademark laugh and Rodney explaining to Trigger that his name isn’t, in fact, “Dave.”
The strong sense of familiarity extends to the costume designs, which are so accurate that you’d be forgiven for thinking the cast raided the BBC’s old wardrobes and pulled out all the original apparel from the ’80s and ’90s. Trig’s daft blue suit, Marlene’s leopard-print dress and Mickey Pearce’s Trilby hat are all here — Del’s dodgy pyjamas even make an appearance in one scene, which was met with howls of laughter from the Marlowe Theatre audience. The cast all pull off flawless impersonations of their Peckham portrayals, from Denzil’s scouse accent to Cassandra’s slightly posh delivery.
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Just as much love seems to have been poured into the sets, which are bursting with detail. The way the sets revolve for seamless scene transitions was very impressive, with Nelson Mandela House turning into The Nag’s Head pub in a swift spin that feels more like a magic trick than a stage change, keeping the pace brisk and the audience immersed in the Trotters’ world.
Authenticity is certainly high throughout, though like Del’s flimsy French phrases, there are also a couple of missteps that may leave fans scratching their heads. One such blunder is the representation of the dreaded Driscoll brothers. In the series, the sinister siblings were intimidatingly quiet, able to stir up the pub locals with just a glance – but in the musical, both are uncharacteristically brash, especially in their song “Being a Villain” – a jig that’s a touch too jaunty for its own good. An important visual gag is also lost here without the staggering height difference between the two, and it’s a bit odd to see them have such a large role when they were only featured in one episode of the TV series. Detective Inspector Roy Slater – a fan-favourite recurring TV character who sadly does not appear in the stage show – would have been a better pick as the show’s main antagonist.
On the topic of expanded roles, Mrs Obooko was an unseen resident of the Trotters’ flat, mentioned only once in the first series – yet for some reason, here she’s a fully developed character. It’s an odd choice to write in a new character when there were so many other Peckham pleasers that could have been integrated into the restrictive runtime, but Gloria Acquaah-Harrison, who plays the role, at least had an incredible singing voice.
Speaking of the songs, they’re all cushty for the most part, but certainly not the main draw of the production. This is where the bulk of the original material by writers Jim Sullivan and Paul Whitehouse lies and therefore may be the most divisive aspect for faithful Fools fans, but for the most part, the lyrics sound like things the characters might actually say (once you get past the slightly surreal novelty of Del Boy crooning his way through a punchline). They deliver a few laughs, but many aren’t remarkably memorable. There are also a couple of covers of licensed classics in here too — Simply Red’s “Holding Back the Years” is a welcome callback, having been a crucial element of a very emotional scene in the TV series, though the jarring inclusion of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” comes out of nowhere. The highlight of the soundtrack is definitely “A Bit of a Sort”, a very catchy and comical number in which Del sings to a dating agent specifying all the ideal traits he’s after in his potential bird.
The biggest disappointment of The Musical is the surprisingly small presence of a major character. It seemed like Uncle Albert wasn’t going to show up at all as the show’s second half ticked on, until the bearded bluejacket appeared at the last minute. The show squeezed in one of Albert’s infamous “during the war” anecdotes (another effective crowd-pleaser) before the curtain call, but reducing the character to this one moment did the source material a great disservice – Albert had a much longer run as a tritagonist after replacing Grandad in the series, and had tons of unforgettable lines and scenes in the series that just weren’t represented here.
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Unbalanced stage time aside, humour is obviously a crucial element of Only Fools and Horses, and The Musical certainly roused plenty of laughter from its audience throughout the runtime. But the production also manages to capture another ingredient arguably just as fundamental of the sitcom: its heart. The show constantly delivers unbridled optimism in the face of chaos, and the Peckham locals aren’t just comedic vehicles — they’re characters you root for and grow genuinely fond of, like old friends you’re always happy to see again.
You’d have to be a right plonker to miss Only Fools and Horses: The Musical — a pukka celebration of dicey deals, family bonds and nostalgic gags. Like the Trotters’ iconic three-wheeled van, it sputters at times, but it still has enough charm and heart to win you over.
Rating: 4/5
Only Fools and Horses: The Musical is currently touring across the UK, and you can view all tour dates on the official website.
Featured image: Promotional artwork of Only Fools and Horses: The Musical