As writers of the musical, Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan have taken John Sullivan’s 64 unforgettable tv adventures of Del and Rodney and blended them into one excellent night time out.
Only Fools and Horses The Musical shall be in Glasgow on the Theatre Royal from 28 October to 2 November then in Edinburgh the next week.
And as each a author and performer, Paul Whitehouse’s CV greater than ready him for lively obligation as a Trotter. He has entertained the nation for many years through his arsenal of impeccable character creations which have graced our screens in award successful collection corresponding to The Fast Show and Happiness, alongside his frequent comedy collaborations with Harry Enfield.
Joining Paul within the author sizzling seat is Jim Sullivan, the son of Only Fools’ creator John, Jim has continued to take care of the Trotter’s world each on-screen (through two much-loved spin-off collection) and in print (through best-selling books). No one is healthier positioned than Jim to know the way an Only Fools story must be written.
Following its West End opening in 2019, the musical obtained a number of 5 star opinions, with The Sun hailing it “One Del of a Show”, whereas the Daily Mirror declared it “C’est Magnifique! A treat for Trotter fans” and the Daily Mail mentioned it’s “a loving homage to a national institution”.
Jim, rumours of a musical primarily based on Only Fools have been circulating for years earlier than it opened within the West End. Did you begin from scratch once you began your collaboration or is any of the musical primarily based upon earlier developments?
Jim: My Dad had been toying with the potential of bringing the it to the stage however sadly by no means obtained to totally decide to it. When we started creating the concept again in 2015, the very first thing I did was to look my Dad’s notes. I found snippets of ideas and concepts he’d scribbled down, and I knew from speaking with him that he needed to give attention to the Dates episode (his private favorite), the place Del and Raquel first met. I additionally discovered a two-page opening scene, which our opening scene is predicated on. About six months later I used to be serving to my Mum filter the storage after I got here throughout an previous audio cassette tape with the phrases “This Time Next Year” written on it. We performed the tape and there was Chas and Dave (as Del and Rodney) singing “We’re gonna be alright, the good times are on their way!” Mum recalled that again within the late 1990’s Dad had gone to Chas’s studio to work on a music, and this was clearly the end result. So, we had the start of a gap scene and what I felt would make a fantastic and uplifting ultimate music. This was round in regards to the time that Paul got here on board, and it actually took off from there.
Paul, once you have been approached to work on the musical was it all the time necessary that you simply wrote in addition to carried out in it?
Paul: That was all I used to be approached to do initially, I used to be requested to put in writing and adapt it, I wasn’t requested to be in it. I had labored with CJ (Caroline Jay Ranger, director) and the manufacturing workforce on the Legends tour with Harry Enfield, and he or she had loved working with me, and thought I had the wherewithal to do it – I didn’t as I had by no means written a musical earlier than, so it was a gradual course of.
I met Jim and I used to be very aware of how treasured the legacy was to him and his household, and for me too as somebody who cherished the collection. But the truth that Chas Hodges and John Sullivan had already written a music collectively for it struck me as a optimistic aspect. It was wonderful to see the musical so nicely obtained throughout its 4 years within the West End. I can’t wait to get again into Grandad’s hat and slippers and take the present to new audiences across the nation.
Only Fools and Horses is such a cherished collection, was it a bit formidable to take characters and occasions that generations of viewers knew so nicely? Did you are feeling that there have been some issues you can have creative license with however others not?
Jim: In this case it was an particularly difficult problem. When my Dad wrote the primary collection again in 1981 he wasn’t positive it might get a second collection. When he wrote the second collection it seemed as if there wouldn’t be a 3rd. When he wrote the ultimate episode in 2003 there have been, all advised, 64 episodes (roughly 44 hours of viewing materials). The story of the Trotters of Peckham spanned over 20 years and included births, deaths and marriages. Our job was to boil that down right into a single two hour story… with songs! Obviously we couldn’t embody every little thing, and whereas we’ve tried to stay devoted to the unique scripts, we’ve additionally used a little bit of artistic license with the timeline. Ultimately, we’re not making an attempt to reinvent the collection however reasonably to pay homage to it. What we’ve ended up with is (hopefully) one thing that captures and celebrates the center and spirit of what the collection was all about.
Is the choice to set the story at a selected level within the character’s lives key to the plot? Was it ever tempting to return to the start of the collection or did you all the time need the musical to start out with all of the Trotter’s world firmly established?
Jim: I adopted my dad’s cue right here. The collection and the characters developed over the a long time and it was necessary to incorporate all the important thing characters at key moments. We have been specializing in the Dates episode, by which era loads was altering within the lives of the Trotters. This timing additionally helped to encourage different concepts.
Paul: I believed that we shouldn’t simply revisit Only Fools and Horses. It may sound a bit pretentious however I believed one of many unsung stars of the present was London itself. I got here up with the concept for a music known as ‘Where Have All The Cockney’s Gone?’, a phrase I’d heard round and it struck me as one thing that Grandad may empathise with and provides voice to. The late 80’s was a time when London was creating and the gentrification of the yuppies was starting, and I needed to make some extent about how a lot has modified.
I additionally had the concept Trigger may look into the longer term in his Granny’s crystal ball and he sees the London we dwell in now. Seeing artisan bakers and classic clothiers, as a bit it is going to hit house with folks how a lot has modified. Obviously with musical theatre you are able to do some very artistic issues like that, and the viewers goes with it. And you may make some extent in music. It has been a stunning train, even when it had resulted in a couple of sleepless nights.
So these two issues in a bizarre approach are nothing to do with the TV collection however are to do with London and Peckham – virtually made me assume, proper I may convey one thing to it, reasonably than simply re- imagining the TV collection. It’s utilizing nostalgia as social commentary, having a bit take a look at London, and Only Fools provides you the chance.
Paul, was it ever on the playing cards that you’d play the opposite senior Trotter, Uncle Albert or did you have a choice in the direction of taking part in the a part of Grandad?
Paul: I all the time thought that Grandad was a neater character to put in writing for. He’s far more weak than Uncle Albert, and I all the time cherished Lennard Pearce’s (who performed Grandad within the BBC collection) supply. As the writing developed and we did a few workshops, through which I performed Grandad, I reached the purpose the place I needed to do it!
The tv collection after all incorporates a very wealthy array of secondary characters, how a lot of a problem was it to seek out sufficient stage time to do all of them justice within the musical?
Jim: That was one other large problem. Again, we couldn’t embody everybody, however we’ve tried to provide all the principle characters a good shout.
Paul, do you assume that any of your earlier work was ever impressed by Only Fools? There appears to be a little bit of a delicate Lennard Pearce/Grandad high quality to The Fast Show’s Archie the pub bore and Unlucky Alf for instance.
Paul: This is one thing that has by no means ever crossed my thoughts, however I believe actually within the look and manner of Unlucky Alf there are similarities aren’t there? The voice of Archie is slimier, however he was truly primarily based on a man from my fishing membership known as Archie! Looking again, you can say that Loadsamoney was not far off Del Boy, that complete bigger than life, in your face character, though he was much more boorish than Del, however that sort of celebration of money in hand “Friday nights a little bit dodgy” life-style.
Jim, as a author skilled with creating comedy for the display screen, did you discover it a bit restrictive not having the posh of writing exterior VT scenes (as typically seen within the collection) to increase the canvas of the story?
Jim: Yes and no. This complete expertise has been an enormous studying curve for me. To start with you’re considering like a tv digital camera, which may decide up small and refined issues, one thing that theatre doesn’t afford you. The upside to that’s that it forces you to rethink and be extra imaginative.
Paul, again within the 90s, you’d have been filming at Television Centre on the identical time as Only Fools, did your paths ever cross with John, David, Nick and the gang?
Paul: I by no means did meet John, however I met David and Nick at a few BBC do’s and so they have been each pretty. Because The Fast Show was actually at its top after I met them and so they actually favored it, they have been doing my characters again to me!
As far as casting the 2 mains to behave alongside Paul, was it a case of auditioning Sam and Tom collectively to see if they’d the proper of chemistry? Was there ever the concern that you simply wouldn’t discover somebody to carry-off the multifaceted function of Del?
Jim: They are each demanding roles to play, however the truth that they’ve already been performed so nicely earlier than. We had many auditions and it wasn’t straightforward, however all of the forged have been wonderful and it’s been a real privilege to work with them.
Was it difficult to weave the songs into the standard Only Fools scripted sequences?
Jim: To start with, sure. But it has all been very natural. We targeted on the beats of the story first and the songs got here out of that.
What was the method like of writing songs for the musical with the late Chas Hodges?
Paul: I’d by no means met Chas earlier than, however weirdly I obtained on very well with him. Because of his work he was a type of blokes you felt you’d recognized for ages. I knew he was a fan of my stuff and we each had fishing in frequent, and, together with Dave Peacock, we have been each from the identical space, so we had a robust connection.
Finally, can we count on to see the previous man of the ocean and historic mariner himself Uncle Albert make an look within the musical?!
Paul: Well, you by no means know, Uncle Albert may pop up within the present when issues get difficult!
