Review: ONLY FOOLS & HORSES THE MUSICAL (UK Tour) @ Regent, Stoke

 

 

Mange tout, mange tout...  If ever there was a show that could do well on tour it's this one! Only Fools & Horses The Musical, the authorised stage spin-off of the legendary TV series, has set its Reliant Regal to trundle around the UK. Originally the brainchild of series creator John Sullivan who passed away before the project could be realised, his son Jim then stepped in and joined with super-fan comedian Paul Whitehouse and the late Chas Hodges (the piano playing half of Chas & Dave) to bring the world of Del Boy Trotter to the stage. As we know, between 1981 and 2003 Sullivan Snr. made the series the biggest ever comedy in the UK. Over 24 million people tuned in to watch Del and Rodney become millionaires back in 1996. Nothing could touch the writing or the performances.  So its a tall order to re-create such well loved characters and situations nightly.

 

                                                           Peter Childs as Grandad Trotter

Thankfully the Trotters  come off well from their venture into the theatre. The story is a mix of familiar situations but mostly centres around the episodes where Del meets Raquel, and Rodney is about to marry his girlfriend Cassandra. Musically its a bit of a mish-mash. Most the the songs land well with the audience, starting with that oh so familiar catchy theme music but also with songs about cockneys (Grandad), infertility (Boyce & Marlene), fortune telling (Trigger) and computer dating (Del). There are a couple of nice ballads too for Raquel and Cassandra, and when you throw in songs by Bill Withers, Simply Red and inevitably Chas & Dave, you pretty much have something for everyone.

Pivotal to the evening are the three Trotters. The evening will stand or fall on how these much loved characters are portrayed. For the actors they are not only giving a performance but are cusodians of national treasures at the same time. Sam Lupton makes his mark upon Del Boy from the off, he has obviously studied the vocal traits and mannerisms of Sir David Jason, it is clearly Del Boy up there on the stage and the audience warm to him from the off.  He makes sure the big laughs keep coming as the show zips along. Tom Major - in his first professional job - as Rodney doesn't quite have the facial reactions that were such of feature of Nicholas Lyndhurst's version, but he gives a solid performance, a lovely mixture of innocence and incredulity at his older brother's antics. Completing the Trotter trio is Philip Childs, a Stokie returning to home turf, as Grandad. Childs manages to conjure up the raspy delivery and world weary presence of the oldest Trotter.  Between them Lupton, Major and Childs provide the bedrock of the Trotter experience, and are all first rate.

 

Nicola Munns incredibly transforms herself from garish Marlene to shy Cassandra and back as the show progresses. There can't be too more polar opposites in the Fools & Horses arsenal as these two, so to expertly carry them off is a tribute to Munns talent. Georgina Hagen possesses a lovely singing voice, and her solo 'The Girl' really finds the pathos in Raquel's longing for love. Craig Berry as Boycie is a doppelganger for the original Boycie, the late great John Challis.  His pitch perfect delivery of Boycie's sneery voice and laugh are spot on.  A word too for Gloria Acquaah-Harrison whose big vocals give us a touching 'Holding Back The Years'.

Alice Power's set expertly brings the Peckham of the television episodes to the stage,  quickly transforming from the Nag's Head to the Trotters flat via a street market and all points inbetween.  Director Caroline Jay Ranger knows what the audience expect of the show, and she makes sure the action and actors deliver. Musical director Rachel Murphy and her 4 piece band knock out the music with skill too. Lets not forget them, hidden away as they are below the stage.

It is likely that a bulk of the audience during Only Fools & Horses long UK tour will not have been in a theatre before, attracting many first timers through their love of the television show. You'll need a bit more than a 'pony in me pocket' to see this show, with top price tickets a whopping £91.50 on the evening we went, it is hoped that the theatre is not turning into the elitist experience it has fought so hard not to be. Producers should be wary of knowing where the line is regarding pricing. Only Fools & Horses thankfully delivers, and we left feeling the joy of those legendary characters and the sheer British-ness of John Sullivan's collection of eccentrics. To sum up the show in a way the Peckham residents would favour: it's lovely jubbly!

Rob & Ian

 

Further information and tour dates can be found at THE OFFICIAL ONLY FOOLS & HORSES MUSICAL WEBSITE 

Further listening:

The original West End cast recording of 2019 features Tom Bennett (Del), Ryan Hutton (Rodney) and writer Paul Whitehouse (Grandad) and is available to download, stream or buy on CD.