Book, Lyrics and Original Score by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan
Directed by Caroline Jay Ranger
Review by Annie Aslett
Roll up, roll up, get your musical-based-on-a-beloved-British-TV series here! Only Fools and Horses: The Musical joins The Great British Bake Off: The Musical in the category of “sounds like a gimmick but is actually pretty good”. Join Del Boy, Rodney, Grandad, and a whole cast of familiar faces, as they try to hawk this musical knock-off in true Trotter style. Only Fools and Horses: The Musical was written by comedy legend Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan (son of original writer John Sullivan) in order to “protect [the show’s] legacy”. Mission accomplished, I suppose; while the musical doesn’t do anything new or interesting with the Only Fools schtick, it certainly won’t have done the show’s legacy any damage, judging by the enthusiastic response from the audience at Glasgow’s King’s Theatre.
Only Fools and Horses: The Musical was created by people who love the original show, for people who love the original show (who else?). This results in a production that feels like falling sideways, elbow-first, into a classic episode of the show, stuffed full of ‘plonkers’, faux-French and every other line that your dad/uncle/grandad (delete as appropriate) has made his entire personality. The show is beloved for a reason – the stars are endearing caricatures of everyday people, full of easily quotable and genuinely funny writing, and this production has excelled in bringing this energy to life on stage. Sure, Sullivan and Whitehouse may have prioritised nostalgia over neatly wrapping up all of the narrative threads; at times, this leaves the show feeling like an untethered brainstorm of Only Fools and Horses’ best bits rather than a standalone story. This is a case of trying to cram in one too many old favourites – did we really need the side story of Boysie and Marlene going through an infertility scare just for Marlene to announce her pregnancy a few scenes later? Clearly, for Sullivan and Whitehouse, the temptation to include an animated firework display made out of cartoon sperm was too much to resist.
The modern musical landscape is littered with Beloved IP: The Musical spinoffs, many falling into the trap of crowbarring in forgettable songs and calling it a musical. This begs the question: why bother? Only Fools and Horses, the TV show, features some iconic tunes, so it’s understandable that the creatives would want an excuse to use them, but wouldn’t Whitehouse and Sullivan have preferred to write a straight play where they could fully indulge in the comic rhythms of the script? To put it simply: does Only Fools and Horses need to be a musical? Well, the show isn’t short of filler tunes, but there are a couple of standouts that hint at the show’s full musical potential. Mange Tout sees Del Boy (Sam Lupton) decked out in tails and a cane, introducing himself in his own inimitable style via the medium of a cracking song and some cushty choreography (complete with backing dancers). This number makes the most of Lupton’s stellar musical theatre chops whilst playing up Del Boy’s idiosyncrasies, drawing out all the more humour for it. THIS is what I wanted from Only Fools and Horses: the Musical – it’s this inventiveness and willingness to lean into the genre, exemplified by this song and a couple of others, that justify the production’s raison d’être (as the French say). A few more creative songs like this would have taken the show to a different level. I’m sure that the vast majority of the audience couldn’t care less about the musical aspect, but a boring song is a boring song.
Questionable musical value aside, the cast and crew have nailed the feeling of the original. Alice Power’s versatile set design brings all the iconic locations to life, from the Nag’s Head to the Trotter residence. All your favourite characters are here, from Trigger to Denzil, played brilliantly by a hilariously committed cast. In particular, seeing Whitehouse play Grandad is a real treat for the audience. For those who grew up with these characters, Only Fools and Horses: The Musical is an unmissable experience.
An Unmissable Experience
Only Fools and Horses runs at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow until 2nd November.
Running time – Two hours and twenty minutes with one interval
Review by Annie Aslett – contact@corrblimey.uk
Annie is a not-so-recent graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in French and Spanish, along with a Masters in Translation from the University of Glasgow. A Spanish teacher for three years, she decided to leave the classroom behind to pursue personal goals and has since been regularly reviewing for Corr Blimey’s Glaswegian wing. Annie is a life-long lover of musical theatre, whose childhood performances included a rousing production of Snow White in The Hall and a heartfelt rendition of Go, Go, Go Joseph in The Living Room.
