Yahoo News Review: Lovely jubbly! Hilarious Only Fools and Horses musical three wheels its way to Manchester
Cushty! Direct from London's West End, Del Boy, Rodney and the gang have transformed Manchester's Opera House into Nelson Mandela house, the Nag's Head and other favourite Peckham haunts from the classic sitcom, for a two week run.
After a record breaking four years in the capital, the Only Fools and Horses musical is on the road, but hopefully not in a three wheeler. Paul Whitehouse, the star of iconic sitcom The Fast Show and more recently Gone Fishing with fellow comedy great Bob Mortimer, reprises his role from the West End as Grandad.
Whitehouse wrote the musical with Jim Sullivan, the son of legendary screenwriter John Sullivan, the man behind the original TV show, who also sang that iconic theme tune. After the sitcom ended in 2003, following 22 years on the small screen, the musical catapults the audience back into Peckham, with all the old favourites getting a showing.
Within the first few minutes of the performance, the musical sets its stall out. This is a greatest hits set, a warm comfort blanket of nostalgia, away from the biting winds outside on Quay Street.
Del Boy's classic one liners, malapropisms and digs at his younger brother and Grandad are all here. Sam Lupton has the old wheeler dealer down to a tee. Close your eyes, and it could be David Jason.
Whitehouse is brilliant as Grandad, with that withered, husky voice bringing back so many memories of nights sat around the front room catching the Trotters' latest escapades. The story is anchored around the love interests of Del Boy and Rodney.
In their own ways, as viewers of the show know, the brothers both get the girl with plenty of jolly japes to enjoy along the way. Trigger's deadpan daftness, Boycie's laugh, and Del's garish fashion sense. Classic moments from the show are alluded to or recreated. In the wider cast, Richard J Hunt is hysterical as the dating agent who helps connect Del and Raquel. There is a book of original songs, written by Sullivan and Whitehouse.
Some are more memorable than others, but a personal highlight is Trigger's otherworldly effort, 'Gaze Into My Ball', and Boycie and Marlene's duet is heartbreakingly hilarious.
There isn't much in the way of a plot, but frankly, who cares. For fans of this classic show, this is a welcome trip back into a world where 20 million people huddled together in front of the TV, laughing in unison. Lovely jubbly.
