| Only Fools and Horses | |
| Subtitle: | The Musical |
| Music: | Paul Whitehouse Jim Sullivan John Sullivan (additional) Chas Hodges (additional) |
| Lyrics: | Paul Whitehouse Jim Sullivan John Sullivan (additional) Chas Hodges (additional) |
| Basis: | Only Fools and Horses by John Sullivan |
| Premiere Location: | Theatre Royal Haymarket, London |
| Productions: | 2019 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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
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]
| 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 |
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]