REVIEW: Only Fools and Horses: The Musical – Theatre Royal, Glasgow
It’s either going to be sacrilege or celebration as the musical version of Only Fools and Horses hits Glasgow this week.
A distillation of 64 episodes, spanning the years 1981 to 2011, of John Sullivan’s beloved TV classic, a show often voted the best British comedy ever, it’s also either bravery or bravado to tackle something so beloved.
Choosing to focus mainly on the 1988 episode Dates, where Del finds the love of his life Raquel, Sullivan’s son Jim and comedy legend Paul Whitehouse have created this musical stage version.
So it’s back to Peckham, South London in the 1980s. Rodney and Cassandra are preparing for their wedding, Marlene and Boycie are trying to conceive, and Del Boy decides to go to a dating agency spurred on by mate Trigger’s recent successes.
Fans will be delighted to know that all the familiar characters and catchphrases are here as well as some of the legendary set-pieces. There’s misguidedly optimistic Del (Sam Lupton), hapless Rodney (Tom Major), loveable Granddad (Paul Whitehouse), Trigger (Lee VG), Boycie (Craig Berry), Marlene (Nicola Munns), Mickey (Peter Watts) and Raquel (Georgina Hagan). The Peckham high rise flat is here, as is The Nags Head boozer and the notorious, yellow Reliant Robin. As well as the comfortably familiar, there’s are flash-forward to the gentrification of Peckham in 2024 a world so very different from the world of Only Fools, all brew pubs, artisan cheesemakers and specialist coffee roasters.
Woven around these familiar elements are around 20 songs spanning the famous theme tune, songs from the pen of Paul Whitehouse, Chas & Dave, as well as Bill Wither’s Lovely Day to a poignant version of Simply Red’s Holding Back the Years. There’s a bit of music hall and hints of Lionel Bart and even A Chorus Line in the original songs. Despite the variety, or maybe because of it, some of them sit somewhat incongruously within the story. None particularly distinguishing themselves and at times are plonked in the middle of the narrative where they add little to the action or experience.
What the production does have in its favour is a first rate cast. Sam Lupton sounds eerily like David Jason and nails every little mannerism, as do Lee VG and Dave Berry as sound and look a like Trigger and Boycie. Paul Whitehouse is a loveable Grandad and Tom Major’s Rodney is decent, if a little forgettable as Rodney.
Sullivan and Whitehouse have done a decent job in reviving this much-loved material. The musical certainly feeds the audience’s appetite for nostalgia and a yearning for comedy of this quality back on our screens but the somewhat rambling story lacks the warmth of the original. There’s a lot of unnecessary filler, making it feel a tad over long. There’s plenty of humour, but also shed-loads of pathos which comes at sometimes jarring moments in the storyline.
The sell out crowd on a miserable Monday night is testament to the pulling power of Only Fools. It might be missing the magic of the original, but it’s a pleasant enough piece of escapism and an enjoyable trip down Memory Lane.
Runs until 1 November 2024 | Image: Johann Persson
