Only Fools and Horses The Musical at Regent Theatre Stoke on Trent Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by H Chan
Almost everyone has heard of Only Fools and Horses. It is a classic from the 80’s and 90’s, which ran for seven seasons on the BBC. For me, it was one of my favourite shows growing up, and so I had to take my father along to see it on the opening night at The Regent Theatre, Stoke on Trent. For quotes, memorable scenes and all of the nostalgia, this musical didn’t disappoint.
The show itself, was written by Paul Whitehouse, of Harry Enfield and The Fast Show fame, and Jim Sullivan. It also features music written by Jim’s father John Sullivan, who wrote the original sitcom, and Chas Hodges of Chas and Dave. It was a comic mix of familiarity and vulnerability, showing how Del rose above obstacles to help his family.
The story follows Del Boy and Rodney, as they navigate life in Peckham with their friends and family. Whilst the first half was enjoyable and entertaining, the second half was more lively where the storyline came to a head, featuring a couple of major events depicted in the TV series. I loved the sets and use of props, there was some very skilled lighting and the use of a background video screen which worked really well. My favourite set, was of course, the Trotter’s iconic living room.
It was very easy to match the characters on stage with the characters in the show. They were chosen perfectly, with each of the cast adopting the mannerisms of the original character really well. We loved Boycie’s laugh (played by Craig Berry), Marlene was spot on (Nicola Munns). We particularly liked the portrayal of Grandad by Philip Childs. When it comes to the main man himself, Del Boy, Sam Lupton was fantastic. How he remembered so many classic lines and delivered them flawlessly takes some skill, as can singing in that accent. All of Del’s classic quotes were thrown in there somewhere. Tom Major captured Rodney’s boyish charm, Cosmic! I loved that they didn’t try to change the characters, sometimes on stage it’s hard to follow if they change your favourites too much, but casting certainly have a gift in this case.
The live band need to have a mention, I loved that there was a live band. The music was well written, my favourite had to be Bit of a Sort, followed by a very random song called Gaze into my Ball, sung by Trigger, covered by Kieran Andrew. It had just the right amount of quirkiness to have a place in the musical, even though it was a bit out there. The tadpole song made me laugh too! We liked how they even managed to squeeze Uncle Albert in for a short while too, and how they brought the song Margate to life. We were even treated to a song by the Driscoll Brothers!
The show was two hours and twenty minutes with interval, whilst some parts were on the slower and more serious side, it was very quickly pulled back into pace with the comedy. It was everything I could have expected from a musical creation of one of my favourite shows from childhood. I give this show 5 out of 5 stars. I felt that the cast did an amazing job and the whole thing was really well put together.
You can find tickets here www.atgtickets.com starting at only £37.50 and going up to a maximum of £95 per seat. It runs until Saturday 7th December at The Regent, Stoke. I recommend getting your tickets sooner rather than later, as it already seems to be very popular. We had a fantastic view of the stage and saw everything.
Rating: 5/5