Only Fools and Horses The Musical

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Only Fools and Horses
The Musical
Only Fools and Horses musical.jpg
Official West End poster
MusicPaul Whitehouse
Jim Sullivan
John Sullivan (additional)
Chas Hodges (additional)
LyricsPaul Whitehouse
Jim Sullivan
John Sullivan (additional)
Chas Hodges (additional)
BookPaul Whitehouse
Jim Sullivan
BasisOnly Fools and Horses
by John Sullivan
Premiere9 February 2019 (2019-02-09): Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
Productions2019 West End

Only Fools and Horses The Musical is a 2019 British stage musical with book, music and lyrics by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan, with additional music by Chas Hodges and writer John Sullivan. It is based on John Sullivan's BBC television sitcom of the same name which began in 1981.

Plot[]

The story compresses more than 20 years and 60 episodes of the show into a two-hour tale in which Rodney and Cassandra are making wedding preparations, Boycie and Marlene are trying to conceive, and Del Boy goes to a dating agency looking for a "sort" and ends up with Raquel.[1]

It includes classic routines from the TV show such as Del Boy falling through the bar and Rodney trying to explain to Trigger that his name is not Dave.

Productions[]

A musical adaptation of the popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses was announced to be coming to the West End on 8 October 2018, the musical would be produced by Phil McIntyre Entertainments and written by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan. The initial casting announced Paul Whitehouse playing the role of Grandad, Tom Bennett as Del Boy and Ryan Hutton as Rodney. The musical was announced to have its first preview on 8 February 2019.


West End (February 2019–present)[]

The musical made its world premiere at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on the 9 February 2019, before opening officially on 19 February 2019. The production was directed and choreographed by Caroline Jay Ranger, with musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Stuart Morely. Set and costume was designed by Liz Ascroft, with lighting design by Richard G Jones and Sound Design by Rory Madden.

Peter Mason in the Morning Star newspaper described the production as "well conceived, well wrought and, above all, great fun", adding that "in general, the tenor of the stage interpretation is rather more emotional than the TV series, with more pathos and some darker moments."[2]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom mandating the closure of all theatres, the production was forced to take a lengthy hiatus. It is set to reopen on October 1, 2021, and has been extended to February 26, 2022.[3]

Musical Numbers[]

Original West End Production[]

Original cast and characters[]

Character West End
(2019)
Grandad Paul Whitehouse*
Del Boy Tom Bennett
Rodney Ryan Hutton
Raquel Dianne Pilkington
Cassandra Pippa Duffy
Boycie Jeff Nicholson
Marlene Samantha Seager
Trigger Peter Baker
Denzil Adrian Irvine
Danny Driscoll Pete Gallagher
Tony Driscoll Adam Venus
Chris Kiely
Dating Agent Oscar Conlon-Morrey
Mrs Obooko/Wedding Fitter Melanie Marshall
Mike the Barman Andy Mace
Sid Chris Bennett

Creative Team[]

  • Book – Paul Whitehouse & Jim Sullivan
  • Director & Choreographer – Caroline Jay Ranger
  • Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator * Arranger – Stuart Morely
  • Set & Custome Designer – Liz Ascroft
  • Lighting Designer – Richard G Jones
  • Sound Designer – Rory Madden
  • Casting Director – David Grindrod CDG
  • Associate Director & Choreographer – Denise Ranger

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Will Gompertz reviews: Only Fools and Horses The Musical ★★☆☆☆". BBC News. 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  2. ^ Peter Mason. Review of Only Fools and Horses The Musical. Morning Star, 2019. Web. Retrieved on 29 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Only Fools and Horses the Musical | London Box Office". www.londonboxoffice.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
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