It certainly seems that producers are willing to tag the words ‘The Musical’ onto almost anything, and quite often audiences can be left wondering whether adaptation is a good idea. When the musical of Only Fools and Horses first appeared on the West End stage six years ago, it raised a few eyebrows among fans of the near-cult status T.V. series, but it went on to become a smash hit, with a record-breaking run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
The show is now enjoying its first national tour and is currently spending a fortnight at Liverpool Empire. Several of the original West End cast have joined the tour, including co-author Paul Whitehouse, who is playing at some venues, one of which, happily, is Liverpool.
Whitehouse wrote the book, music and lyrics alongside Jim Sullivan, son of the T.V. series’ creator John, with additional material from Chas (Chas &Dave) Hodges and featuring the original theme song. Whilst it is billed as a musical and does indeed have plenty of songs, a fine five-piece pit band and several company numbers, the show is very text-driven, and the dialogue is definitely the biggest strength. Whitehouse and Sullivan have succeeded in taking many of the key elements from the original storylines and have conflated them into a single narrative, so rather than trying to create a new story entirely (a mistake that a lot of spin-off shows often make) they have honoured the source material, which will delight followers of the series. Even better than this, they have included a great deal of very witty lines, some of which recall favourite moments from the T.V. and others that simply riff around the verbal quirks of the characters. The result is an engaging story with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.
Musically, the show is fun but not exactly memorable. Many of the songs feel somewhat incongruous, in particular a top hat and cane routine ‘Mange Tout’ for Del Boy and Trigger’s oddly out of context ‘Gaze Into my Ball’. However, what the musical numbers generally do is very effectively help to move the story forward, allowing us to forget that all the events taking place within two hours in the theatre were originally spread over 22 years on screen.
The outstanding cast tread a fine line between impersonation and tribute, faithfully recreating the familiar mannerisms of the characters whilst never trying to mimic the actors who originally played them. Trigger for example, has a new head, a new body and new legs, but is still definitely Trigger, just like his famous broom. Lee VG is a good physical likeness for Trigger, as is Craig Berry for Boycie, and they really bring the characters back to life. So do Georgia Hagan as Raquel and Nicola Munns in the dual roles of Marlene and Cassandra. Meanwhile Whitehouse has great fun and is a perfect fit for Grandad and, among the great supporting cast, Richard J Hunt appears in several prominent cameos, including that of the dating agent.
The stars however are, of course, Del Boy and Rodney, and here the casting is truly brilliant. Sam Lupton is the diminutive embodiment of Del, and has all the swagger and sharp delivery that you would expect. Alongside him as his lanky younger brother Rodney is Tom Major, unbelievably making his professional stage debut in this tour. Major gives an assured and pitch-perfect performance and both he and Lupton have the vocal nuances tuned to a T.
The television show was, of course, also known for its element of slapstick humour, and there is no shortage of that in this adaptation. The comic timing in the action matches that of the slick dialogue, and one of the best physical gags of all time for which David Jason was justly famous is recreated here by Lupton with a delightfully teasing twist. All of this is made reality on a pleasingly naturalistic stage design by Alice Power, which transforms swiftly between the familiar settings. It is worth noting too that lighting is designed by Ian Scott, whose name will be familiar to regulars at the Royal Court, having lit more than 50 of their shows over the years.
Don’t expect to be heading for the bus singing the songs, but do expect to be grinning happily all the way home from this sharp, witty and lovingly performed show, which can be enjoyed by longtime fans and newcomers alike. Only Fools and Horses, The Musical is playing at Liverpool Empire until 21st June, but hurry, because ticket availability is now limited for every performance. The company then cross the Irish Sea to continue the tour in Belfast and Dublin.
Star rating: 4 stars
Tom Major and Sam Lupton as Rodney and Del Boy - Photo by Johan Persson
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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