ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES THE MUSICAL, EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★
It’s always brave adapting a well-loved TV series for the stage, especially when not one of the original cast members are in a position to recreate their role due to the passage of time. So it is with Only Fools And Horses. Will fans accept the recasting of their favourite ‘plonkers’, created by actors whose performances are now considered by many to be iconic? In the case of Only Fools and Horses The Musical, while the cast make a good fist of it, all is not, as Del Boy might say, cushty.
Based on the John Sullivan’s BBC ratings-grabber of the same name, Only Fools And Horses The Musical finds love is in the air in Peckham. Rodney is preparing to marry Cassandra, Del Boy has turned to TechnoMatch dating agency in search for a soulmate, and Marlene and Boycie are ‘working’ hard to produce a little one of their own to love and cherish. However, with a shortage of ‘pie and mash’ (cash), will Rodney ever be able to afford the move into a new home with his intended? And can Del Boy avoid the attentions of local gangsters, the Driscolls, while trying to win the heart of his latest date, Raquel?
Alice Power’s stage design is impressive, very ‘London’, it sets the scene perfectly. From The Nag’s Head Pub to the local street market and inner city council housing, it offers a time-slip back to Peckham, 1988 – the pre-show soundtrack, a mix of Chas & Dave and hits of the day helps too.
A tale of Eighties’ aspiration in Thatcher’s Britain where everyone dreams of being a millionaire, it’s a piece that relies heavily on the affection that still remains for the original sitcom to achieve its goals; cast frequently rattle through their lines while the songs, though foot-tapping, are mostly forgettable. All the expected tropes are ticked off with signature catchphrases and moments present, there’s even a chandelier ‘nod and a wink’ running throughout, but even they cannot disguise that the story is wafer thin.
Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan’s script proves a bitty and over-extended collection of scenes that are not helped by director/choreographer Caroline Jay Ranger’s slow pacing and basic movement. With an 18-strong company on stage, from the perfunctory opening number, energy is flat with supporting cast frequently confined to the shadows as they provide backing for the musical numbers as principals deliver solos or duets, declaimed with minimal onstage interaction. The full company set pieces there are, lift the spirits and are fun but few and far between.
Taking on the roles made famous by David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Lennard Pearce, Sam Lupton, Tom Major and Paul Whitehouse work hard and create a strong family unit. The best laughs and most touching moments come when all three of them interact together. In those scenes it is indeed easy to forget you’re not watching their TV counterparts.
Del Boy and Raquel
Major in particular is a highlight of the show, making the role of Rodney his own while still honouring Lyndhurst’s unique portrayal. Making his professional debut, the young actor more than holds his own when interacting with Del Boy and Grandad. As the former, Sam Lupton displays great mimicry skills to channel Jason’s crafty ‘Cockney’, while Paul Whitehouse revels in the role of the family patriarch in a pottering performance that enchants and has some of the best one-liners.
Elsewhere, Nicola Munns, doubling as Marlene and Cassandra, works well with Craig Berry’s booming Boyce, while Lee VG is also spot on as Trigger – just ask Dave. Georgina Hagen’s Raquel is warm and nicely realised but, like Munns’ Cassandra, could do with more stage time. A shout out too must go to Richard J Hunt who plays various characters throughout the show, each a scene stealing cameo. Whether as a theatre announcer, a dating agent, or a hospital orderly, he is hilarious.
With a couple of hits, Love Is In The Air and Lovely Day, padding out the original score along with a blast of the old musical hall favourite Any Old Iron, the score often errs on sentimentality, though lyrics are seldom subtle.
The second biggest cheer of the night comes with the arrival of the Trotter’s iconic yellow three-wheeler Reliant Supervan, while the biggest is saved for, well, what else could it be but Lupton’s perfectly executed pratfall through the bar. Saved until near the end of the show, it’s a fitting high point for an evening of nostalgia and comedy albeit comedy that forgets there’s a fine line between pathos and maudlin, a line this production crosses on occasion.
Runs at Edinburgh Playhouse until 9 November. Tickets here.
Full tour dates and venues here.
