Only Fools and Horses The Musical – Eventim Apollo 

Picture: Johan Persson

Only Fools and Horses The Musical continues at the Eventim Apollo, London until 5 January 2025. The show then tours until 5 July 2025.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Over two years ago, I saw a matinee performance of this production at the Theatre Royal Haymarket which as enjoyable as it was, felt throughout like very hard work for a cast faced with a pretty unreceptive audience. The latter were clearly not in tune with the vernacular of the good people of Peckham, as portrayed by the wonderful set of disparate characters created so memorably in the original TV comedy by the late, great John Sullivan. You can’t win them all.

Wind on to Christmas 2024 though and what a sold-out, Christmas party spirited Eventim crowd witnessed was a seamless, beautifully crafted two hours that pays hilarious, poignant and nigh-on perfect homage to what is considered by many to be the finest British sitcom ever screened. It’s been a fair while since I’ve seen a cast gel so well and revel so much in their shared, exuberant collective experience on stage.

This hugely successful adaptation from smash TV show to hit musical, directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, has seriously impressive creative pedigree, with book, lyrics and original score by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan (John’s son) plus additional music and lyrics by John Sullivan and Chas Hodges (Chas & Dave).

Set in the not too salubrious settings of 1980s London SE15, it’s a jewel of a production encrusted with fabulous rough diamond characterisations, none more so than Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter, the dreamer with a heart of gold, and a van full of smoke-damaged fire alarms to sell. A role made almost iconic, of course, by the imperious comedy master David Jason, filling his shoes on stage can’t have been easy, but Sam Lupton slips into Del’s ducking and diving character, and his trademark sheepskin coat, with supreme confidence throughout.

The original sitcom grandad, played by the superb, late Lennard Pearce, must have been a pretty hard part to cast too. But, in Paul Whitehouse thankfully the production has a veritable colossus of British comedy, a Laurence Olivier of laughter, whose mere presence on stage is enough to cause an outbreak of giggles in the audience. When he sings ‘Where Have All The Cockneys Gone?’ (lyrics by Whitehouse and Hodges), he has the house in instant hysterics. Much credit also goes to Tom Major in the key role of Rodney Trotter, Del’s younger brother, tapping into his hapless, disenchanted, but endearing persona perfectly in what is the performer’s professional debut.

Given that this is the expansive venue’s festive/panto season offering, it would be remiss not to have a villain present, and they don’t come any more knuckle duster than legendary hard man (on celluloid and on the football pitch) Vinnie Jones, striding out on stage and threatening all kinds of retribution to anyone who upsets him, Del Boy for one. As a singer he’d make a good dancer, but it’s the perfect cameo role and just one of the icings on an impressively multi-layered comedy cake. As is a haunting version of Simply Red’s ‘Holding Back the Years’, performed impeccably by Gloria Acquaah-Harrison, other female solos being equally strong.

For the generation that watched the original series, it’s a fabulously nostalgic live take on a comedy TV classic, while it will hopefully also be warmly embraced by younger audiences too. A fitting tribute to the wonderful talents of the late John Sullivan, Lennard Pearce, Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert Trotter), John Challis (Boycie) and Chas Hodges, such is the strength of the complete cast on the night, it’s pretty unfair to give any one individual special plaudits.

But, given the show’s setting, it’s no surprise that there’s a brazen ‘tea leaf’ present who steals the show. Namely, one Paul Whitehouse, fabulous as grandad, but then ludicrously brilliant as Uncle Albert. It’s quite clear that he should be given a knighthood for services to seriously tickling the nation’s ribs over decades.

As Del Boy would have said, that would be lovely jubbly.

Derek Smith