By: Cathryn Macey
Peckham comes to Plymouth this week as the Trotters ride into town in their dilapidated Reliant Robin. Following a long and successful run in London, Del Boy et al are embarking on a UK wide tour of the musical version of the immensely popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses.
Co-written by Paul Whitehouse and John Sullivan’s son, Jim Sullivan, this heart-warming and hilarious musical is a touching tribute to the BBC show which ran for over twenty years. Tonight’s audience is packed to the rafters with super fans of the hit series which is famous largely for its razor-sharp script and the cast’s phenomenal talent for comic timing.
The plot is an amalgamation of lots of narrative threads taken from the original series. Whitehouse and Sullivan weave together key comic references and snippets of the old scripts to create a convincing story line which is full to the brim with all of the charm and wit of the sitcom. Fans will not be disappointed.
Adapting a well-loved TV series into a musical must have been a herculean task for the creative team behind Only Fools and Horses: The Musical. Del Boy fans aren’t easily fooled so to convince audiences that this musical is “legit”, particular attention is paid to its set and costume design.
Liz Ascroft (Costume Design) manages to kit the cast out head to toe in all of the iconic outfits featured in the original series. Remember Rodney’s awful parka? It’s in there! Del’s delightful wardrobe is all on display too. The flat caps, oversized faux leather jackets and dodgy polo necks all feature. This attention to detail gives the production the air of authenticity it needs to make us feel as though we have been transported back in time to London, 1988.
Attention to detail stretches to the set too. The Nag’s Head, Del’s flat in Mandela House, the local market; all of the key locations are re-created with such fine attention to detail. Alice Power (Set Design) must have binge watched the series several times to achieve the intricately designed set. From the slightly bizarre painting of an elephant in Del’s flat to the stripey wallpaper in the pub, Power re-creates the set in such a charming way that audiences enjoy spotting all of these small details from the TV series.
Set and costume aside, it really is the cast that make the show. Caroline Jay Ranger (Director and Choreographer) is clearly committed to fine tuning the cast’s use of vocals and movements to ensure they do the original actors’ performances justice. Afterall, what’s the use of a picture-perfect set if the characters aren’t able to emulate the quirky mannerisms and voices of legends like David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst?
Sam Lupton (Del Boy) is roughly the same size as David Jason and his accent is absolutely spot on. It’s easy to forget how wonderful David Jason’s use of comic timing is but Sam re-creates Del Boy’s quick-witted ways so convincingly that we quickly remember why we fell in love with the character in the first place. The audience warm to him immediately and at the curtain call, it’s Sam’s entrance which prompts a standing ovation.
Similarly, Grandad (Philip Childs), Rodney (Tom Major) and Raquel (Georgina Hagen) all have the level of stage presence and talent needed to bring the old characters to life again. Craig Berry and Nicola Munns (Boycie and Marlene) are arguably the most likeable couple on the stage tonight and their story line provokes a healthy amount of laughter and also sadness. Rather importantly, the late John Challis (Boycie from the sitcom) would most definitely approve of Berry’s imitation of his famous guffaw.
Together with a vocally talented ensemble cast (kudos to Richard J Hunt for his impersonation of an incredibly accommodating Italian barista) all the main characters breathe new energy into the show’s old format by including songs such as “Where Have All The Cockneys Gone?” and “Bit Of A Sort”.
Most songs are written by either Stuart Morley, Paul Whitehouse or Jim Sullivan and all are sung well by the cast. Interestingly, the performers all stay in character vocally when singing and the humour, silly word play and use of innuendo from the show’s scripted dialogue is carried over into the performances of the recently written songs.
With fun dance routines and the amusing use of props, this is Del Boy but as you’ve never seen him before…
Whitehouse and Sullivan’s goal when writing this musical version of a much-loved TV classic was to guarantee the longevity of the series. All in all, I’d say they’ve smashed their goal.
Lovely Jubbly!