REVIEW: ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES @ THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

🎭 Only Fools and Horses

📍  The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TR

🗓 Tuesday 20th May 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

PUKKA NOSTALGIA

Mange Tout Rodney! The musical version of ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES has arrived in Plymouth, along with the iconic three-wheeled Reliant Regal Supervan and a whole lot of cockney charm.

The classic sitcom has been adapted for the stage by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan - son of the show's creator John Sullivan. For fans of the television show, the musical version is a heartfelt tribute to the original. All the seminal moments are here, and lots of dialogue has been transferred word for word.

I am personally a huge fan of the series, and rewatch it time and time again. Although the stage adaptation captures the essence of the beloved sitcom I couldn't help but feel something was missing, and there were times when the show fell a bit flat. Somehow the more sentimental moments didn't work. Because the writing made the characters very surface level, I didn't actually care enough about them for the tender moments to pull me in.

Taking on these iconic characters is no mean feat, and the cast on the whole do a brilliant job of bringing them to life. Sam Lupton is exceptional as Del Boy, embodying the wit and charm of the cheeky wheeler-dealer with impressive accuracy, which was a joy to behold. He captures Del's mannerisms and speech patterns so perfectly that you could almost be watching a young David Jason on the stage.

Similarly Philip Childs is very convincing as Grandad, as is Tom Major as Rodney. Lupton, Childs and Major have a believable family dynamic and play off one another very well, even if Rodney feels more of a secondary character here.

The supporting cast are all good too. Craig Berry's rendition of Boycie's laugh went down very well with the audience and Nicola Munns captured Marlene perfectly. Georgina Hagen as Raquel had a sublime singing voice, with her performance of The Girl being one of the standout moments of the show, but I couldn't help feeling that the characterisation was wrong. As someone who knows the sitcom very well I found myself questioning whether Raquel had been somehow dumbed down here.

Unfortunately some of the ensemble characters did seem like a bit of an afterthought, with little care given to their dialogue or interpretations which was a shame. Trigger had so many memorable moments in the series, but instead they wrote in a new storyline with the song Gaze Into My Ball which just didn't work. This was a shame as Lee VG did capture Trigger's character exceedingly well.

Other notable perfromances came from Richard J Hunt who played a plethora of characters, my personal favourite being the Dating Agent, and Gloria Acquaah-Harrison who displayed exceptional and heartfelt vocals. I especially enjoyed her rendition of Holding Back The Years, although I struggled to work out why that song was even used in the show! It's inclusion felt a bit weird if I'm honest.

Although she was fantastic in the roles, I didn't understand the creative choice to have Munns playing both Marlene and Cassandra. This felt like a money saving exercise as it made Cassandra a really minor character, who was inexplicably missing from both her wedding and honeymoon! The script then came up with lame excuses for her being missing from scenes, which was a real shame. When the musical first opened on the West End in 2019 the two roles were played by different people, which made a lot more sense.

I think where this musical struggles is that it relys very heavily on the audience knowing the television show. References to things such as Batman and Robin or Tony Angelino would have made absolutely no sense to some of the patrons. Some of the characters were introduced into the show via them singing, which again was a decision that gambled on you knowing who they were meant to be. Not necessarily an issue for me, but I imagine it could feel somewhat disjointed if you're new to the world of the Trotters,

Alice Power's set design brought back a nostalgic familiarity, although the scene changes did feel clunky and gauche at times. Part of this I feel was the fault of the lighting design, which could have easily disguised this better. The animation and video design by Leo Flint was a triumph and worked really well in the production.

What ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES does well is to offer fans of the sitcom an opportunity to relive cherished moments from the series, with faithful character portrayals and nostalgic charm. Those going in blind or wanting a serious piece of musical theatre may be disappointed, but on the whole it is an enjoyable experience, even though there were times when I questioned whether or not it needed to be a musical.

The iconic moment of Del Boy falling through the bar was perfectly executed by Lupton. Even though we knew it was coming, it was the funniest bit of the evening. I enjoyed the way they built up to it throughout the show, and the result was comedy gold.

Despite my reservations, I would say that this show is definitely a must-see for any ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES fans. It's playing at Theatre Royal Plymouth until Saturday 24th May. There's limited avaliability so don't be a plonker and click here now to grab your tickets before it's too late.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.  

My ticket for this performance of Only Fools and Horses was gifted by Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given. 

CAST LIST:

Philip Childs as Grandad / Uncle Albert; Sam Lupton as Del Boy; Tom Major as Rodney; Georgina Hagen as Raquel; Nicola Munns as Marlene / Cassandra; Craig Berry as Boycie; Lee VG as Trigger; Bradley John as Denzil; Peter Watts as Mickey Pearce / Danny Driscoll; Richard J Hunt as Dating Agent / Theatre Announcer; Andy Bryant as Mike the Barman / Tony Driscoll; Gloria Acquaah-Harrison as Mrs Obooko / Wedding Fitter

Ensemble: Kieran Andrew; Christopher Arkeston; Amanda Coutts; Oscar Dobbins; Rhys Owen; Katie Paine

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours 25 minutes, including interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Flashing lights; Haze; Smoking depiction; Mild language; Adult themes

AGE GUIDANCE:

8+