Review: ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES THE MUSICAL, Theatre Royal

Only Fools and Horses The Musical is a show with book, lyrics and original score by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan, based on the beloved TV series.

It isn't essential to have a good knowledge of the show as this works well as a stand-alone piece. Though I'd be really surprised if someone has managed to go their entire life without coming across a "Rodney, you plonker!" mug or a "Lovely Jubbly" t-shirt in their day-to-day life. 

Derek "Del Boy" Trotter (Sam Lupton) is your lovable local con man. When his mother died he took over caring for his younger brother Rodney (Tom Major) who was just 5 years old at the time- 13 years Del Boy's junior. They lived with their grandad (Paul Whitehouse) but Del Boy is insistent it is he who took the lion's share of the parenting. 

The pair spend a lot of time down The Nag's Head, the local pub where Del Boy peddles his slightly questionable wares. When customers complain about faulty goods, he meets them with a cheeky sort of "what else did you expect from me!" attitude. 

The stage version of Only Fools and Horses is a mash-up of episodes with the overarching story of Rodney marrying Cassandra. It has been well designed and the narrative flows naturally while hitting all the classic lines and best-loved 'bits'. There's romance ahead for Del Boy as well when he meets Raquel (Georgina Hagen) a woman he feels he has to lie to impress.

There are strong performances all around and Lupton and Major make for the perfect Del Boy and Rodney. Though you might only come away from this musical humming the original theme song, the original music is great.

It was clear that a large percentage of the audience are loyal fans of the TV show and they seemed to be thoroughly impressed by this fresh, fun new take on the hit series.

Photo credit: Johan Persson

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