As you may have gathered from the title, this show is based on the brilliant comedy series of the same name. It does, however, merit a Trigger Warning. If you get that, you will love the evening, if you don’t, you will still enjoy it, but there are an awful lot of ‘in’ jokes, both verbal and visual, which need some knowledge of the original.
The ‘plot’ is a bit flimsy, being the story of the build-up to Rodney and Cassandra’s wedding, as well as the day itself, and Del Boy’s use of a dating agency to find himself a missus. There is a subplot in which he tries to raise the two grand Rodney needs to complete the amount needed for the deposit on a marital home.
Because the characters are so well known and loved, becoming part of the national psyche, there can be no room for interpretation, so we had a cast who were imitating the original actors. I must say that I was incredibly impressed by the way in which this was done. The voices and mannerisms were so on point that the physical characteristics seemed to follow and, after a few minutes, it felt as though they were the real thing.
The show kicked off with a very enthusiastic rendition of the famous signature song, with everyone singing and dancing their hearts out. The pace didn’t even settle down when the dialogue began, and I was near exhausted myself by the interval.
The action was set in 1988 which was reflected in some of the language and attitudes, none of which was amiss to my ears, but I was almost forty at the time so not searching for ways to be offended. I noted that there were a couple of lapses, most notably when Grandad, brilliantly played by Paul Whitehouse, who co-wrote the show with Jim Sullivan – the son of the creator, John – delivered the most incredible string of Cockney rhyming slang terms for piles! Along with the usual, Farmer Giles and Michael Miles, he machine-gunned a good twenty or thirty others, slipping in Harry Styles – so to speak – who wouldn’t be born for another six years. Still, it was a musical, not a documentary. The punch-line was that Del Boy, played superbly by Sam Lupton, didn’t get what he was referring to until he ended by saying Clement Freuds, the slang for haemorrhoids. Masterful.
The Trotters; Rodney, Del Boy and Grandad. Tom Major, Sam Lupton and Paul Whitehouse.
I don’t want to spill all the beans, but the iconic episodes were referenced, Rodney, Sam Lupton, taking Cassandra to see Phantom of the Opera, echoing the chandelier incident and a brilliantly executed series of stunts in the Nag’s Head, when Del Boy goes to lean on the open bar flap several times, only for Mike, the barman, to shut it preventing him from falling.
I would hate for my loyal readers in other parts of the world, who didn’t get the programme to feel left out, so please click on the following links. They are still worth a view even if you have seen them before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euc3Q46k8vY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63rcdLeXiU8 You’re welcome.
I only have two gripes, don’t I always, the first, is that having just watched the two clips again, my initial assessment on the night was confirmed in finding that the pace of delivery was far too fast. This meant that punchlines were missed or drowned out by the laughter from the previous one. It was more Marx Brothers than Trotter Brothers. The second is related in that there seemed to be a couple too many filler scenes to spotlight all of the characters. One, with Boycie and Marlene at the Fertility Clinic was funny, especially the back projected video, but a bit laboured – pardon the pun. I noticed a couple of mobile phone consulters in the audience as well, indicating lack of interest – and manners!
If you have watched the clips, you now understand Trigger Warning, but I really must include a real one, as the only deviation from the spirit of the TV programme, was an incident involving violence near the end. I realise it was inserted to illustrate the close bond between the brothers but it was so out of context as to change the whole tone of the evening. I can’t ever recall violence in any of the episodes I watched, and I am almost certain I saw them all. What it did trigger, sorry, in my mind, was the answer to why the show appeared familiar, it seemed to be very similar to Blood Brothers, if a whole lot funnier.
I have mentioned the lead characters’ acting, which was spot-on, but the whole ensemble was exceptional. Craig Berry as Boycie, had that nasal drawl, especially when saying ‘Marlene’ as only he can, as well as the trademark laugh. Raquel, Del’s love interest, played by Georgina Hagen, veered from vulnerable to confident whilst Lee VG, as Trigger, perfectly captured the simple mined soul, who was totally sincere in everything he did, no matter how off the wall. His street-sweeping brush made a guest appearance as well, with Scouser, Denzil, Bradley John, being his usual laconic self.
Special mention must go to Nicola Munns, who not only played Rodney’s betrothed, the young, blonde, professional banker Cassandra, but also the hapless, world-weary brunette of a certain age, Marlene. She acquitted both roles so well that I didn’t realise it was the same person and wondered where she was at the curtain call.
Peter Watts played both Mickey Pearce – although about twice the height of the actor on TV – and Danny Driscoll. Richard J Hunt, Darryl Paul and Gloria Acquaah-Harrison filled multiple roles.
There was also a scene-stealing appearance from the Reliant Regal, which was pushed on to a great ovation.
The band, under Music Director and Keyboards, Catherine Benson, were on top form, which they had to be, backing everything from raucous dances, like the theme tune, to tender ballads such as Gloria Acquaah-Harrison’s plaintive version of Simply Red’s Holding Back The Years, via Chas and Dave’s Margate.
The Ensemble and Swing executed the dance numbers brilliantly and the lead actors also proved to be no slouches when it came to hoofing.
The Director and Choreographer was Caroline Jay Ranger
This was not only an evening of nostalgia, but a great deal of fun, and everyone left the theatre in a far better mood than they arrived, except, perhaps for those sitting next to the plonkers who kept looking at their phones!
Only Fools and Horses: The Hit Musical continues at Leeds Grand Theatre until Saturday, 1st March. For further details and tickets see https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/only-fools-and-horses-2025/ but hurry as availability is limited.
To see where the tour is going next go to https://musicalsontour.co.uk/only-fools-and-horses-tour/
For further productions at Leeds Heritage Theatres click on https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/
Photographs by Johan Persson
Mange tout.
Tyke It To The Limit 