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Only Fools and Horses The Musical

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Only Fools and Horses
The Musical
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
2024 UK and Ireland tour

Only Fools and Horses The Musical is a 2019 British romantic comedy musical with book, music and lyrics by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan, and additional music by Chas Hodges and John Sullivan. It is based on John Sullivan's BBC television sitcom of the same name which ran from 1981 to 2003.

The musical premiered at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in February 2019 and played for over 1,000 performances until the end of April 2023.

Plot

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The story compresses 22 years and 64 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.

Production history

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World premiere: West End (2019–2023)

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A musical adaptation of the popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses was initially announced to be coming to the West End on October 8, 2018 and 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 February 8, 2019.[citation needed]

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

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 reopened on October 1, 2021.[2] The production closed on April 29, 2023 after over 1000 performances, making it the longest-running production in the Theatre Royal Haymarket's history.[3]

UK and Ireland tour (2024-25)

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On October 27, 2023, it was announced that the musical would begin a UK and Ireland tour on September 23, 2024 at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, touring until July 5, 2025. It will also include a Christmas season at the Hammersmith Apollo from December 17, 2024 until January 5, 2025. Whitehouse will reprise his role as Grandad at certain venues, including the London season.[4][5]

Musical numbers

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Original West End Production

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Original cast and characters

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Character West End
2019
Grandad / Uncle Albert 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
Mickey Pearce Chris Kiely
Dating Agent Oscar Conlon-Morrey
Mrs Obooko/Wedding Fitter Melanie Marshall
Mike the Barman Andy Mace
Sid / Alternative Del Boy Chris Bennett
  • From 2022 All the following played by the same actor - Marlene/Cassandra, Mickey Pearce/Danny Driscoll, Mike The Barman/Tony Driscoll and Dating Agent/Sid [6]

Notable West End replacements

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Critical reception

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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."[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Will Gompertz reviews: Only Fools and Horses The Musical ★★☆☆☆". BBC News. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Only Fools and Horses the Musical". London Box Office. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Only Fools and Horses to close in the West End with UK tour planned". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  4. ^ Guide, British Comedy (27 October 2023). "Only Fools And Horses The Musical announces 2024 & 2025 tour dates". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Only Fools and Horses musical announces tour and London return". 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Only Fools and Horses the Musical |". www.onlyfoolsmusical.com/. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Only Fools and Horses the Musical". www.onlyfoolsmusical.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  8. ^ Peter Mason. Review of Only Fools and Horses The Musical. Morning Star, 2019. Web. Retrieved on 29 September 2019.
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