Only Fools and Horses: The Musical at the Opera House Manchester makes for a cushty experience.
The endless charisma, bags of charm and exuberant light-heartedness of the cast, who throw themselves into it with panache, make this showcase absolutely pucker.
Sam Lupton as Del Boy bounces round the stage, resplendent in the infamous coat and cap. His energy is infectious, unrelenting and he lights up every scene. The mannerisms, expressions and the infamous falling-through-the bar scenes are spot on and perfectly capture the infectious charm of the show.
Even in Del Boy’s more sombre scenes, when he laments his mother’s passing or the upcoming nuptials of young Rodney, his vivacity can’t help but captivate.
Similarly, Tom Major as Rodney is endearing, nuanced and almost steals the show, with his familiar rows with Del interspersed with proclamations of his desire to better himself and raise the funds for an expensive flat deposit with posher fiancée Cassandra. It’s hard to believe this is Major’s professional debut.
Georgina Hagen as Raquel Turner injects the male joviality with moments of sentimentality, vulnerability and humanity, best done in her solo, “The Girl”. Raquel’s “famous actress” aspirations for a life far away from the glamour of Peckham are genuinely moving. The trouble is they just so happen to coincide with her and Del Boy deciding to look for love, with hilarity ensuing.
Paul Whitehouse as Grandad is another hoot, his lovable rogue persona and Dickensian familiarity making for an appealing cameo. This proves particularly effective, as he also co-wrote the musical – along with original show creator John Sullivan’s son Jim, who also wrote the score.
The set design is superb, complete with the notorious yellow car, stained Nags Head bar and bustling marketplace. The chorus provides some “lovely jubbly” numbers, memorable dance scenes and add to the growing farcical nature of the show.
Hilariously, the performance briefly had to pause due to technical difficulties 25 minutes in, after a gag about a certain falling chandelier. It is a testament to the show and the musical it spawned that it didn’t affect the performances or energy, and all the cast recovered and carried on beautifully. You’d almost think it was deliberate.
After a sly wink to the audience courtesy of Grandad, the actors picked up precisely where they’d left off. I guess the show really does go on.
Only Fools and Horses runs at Opera House Manchester until 23 November.
Feature image: Sam Lupton as Del Boy and Tom Major as Rodney. Image by Johan Persson
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