Review: Only Fools and Horses

Hey readers!

It's time for my review of Only Fools and Horses. 

Only Fools and Horses the Musical is based on the 1980s British television sitcom of the same name, and adapts the most popular moments from the series for the stage. It follows two brothers from London's rough Peckham estate as they wheel and deal through a number of dodgy deals searching for the big score that'll soon make them millionaires. Whilst many theatregoers will go to watch Only Fools and Horses the Musical in order to gain feelings of nostalgia, I had not seen the television show prior to watching the play. As a consequence of this, I was experiencing these stories and characters for the very first time. 

Only Fools and Horses is not a particularly deep or thought-provoking experience, but instead places its focus on audience nostalgia and light-hearted fun. On the whole, I would personally argue that the show does achieve its primary objectives. The vast majority of those attending appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, proving that this musical does succeed in entertaining its audience. Whilst I myself, as previously mentioned, had not watched the television show, I can imagine that this musical would be true Heaven for die-hard fans. This production is crammed with endless references and in-jokes which only true Only Fools and Horses devotees would fully appreciate. The downside to this, however, is that it does put other theatregoers who may have only seen the occasional episode at a rather large disadvantage. Unfortunately, if you are unfamiliar with such references, then there may be, as I discovered first-hand, a fair amount of confusion.

This production takes different elements of the most popular stories from the TV show and combines them into one sole narrative. Whilst I did find the show's story to be enjoyable, I felt at times that an entirely new and original story featuring these characters may have been better suited for the stage. For example, hit West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takes the much beloved characters from the book series, but tells an entirely new story in continuation of their character-arcs. I did feel that Only Fools and Horses could have potentially benefitted from carrying out something in this manner in order retain maximum creativity and inventiveness. 

The highlight of Only Fools and Horses was, undoubtedly, its stellar cast. Each performance was truly outstanding and could not be faulted in any which way. At the performance I was attending, the leading character of Del Boy was played by Chris Bennett, who was understudying. The role of Del Boy is an exceedingly demanding role, rarely ever leaving the stage, but Bennett was well and truly exceptional. By his side were Ryan Hutton as Rodney and Andy Mace as Grandad, both of which were phenomenal. Both Hutton and Mace had excellent comedic timing and created extraordinary characterisations. I have also heard that both actors were very accurate accent-wise in relation to the original characters. A special mention must also be awarded to Oscar Conlon-Morrey, who portrayed the dating agent and various other roles. Conlon-Morrey was a real stand-out and absolutely nailed each of his roles; he thoughtfully distinguished between each character both carefully and cleverly.

The scenic design, by Liz Ashcroft, was also remarkable. The set was filled with immense detail, and felt very realistic. The scenery is accompanied by a back-drop of screen projections, which have been designed by Tim Blazdell. The screen projections were equally commendable, and complimented the set nicely. 

Now for my final verdict on Only Fools and Horses. I give Only Fools and Horses...

Whilst Only Fools and Horses is by no means perfect, it is still thoroughly enjoyable. It is very much a crowd-pleaser, and I am sure it will continue to have a very successful run in London's West End.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer