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Post by Ethan SD (TFT Productions) on Oct 8, 2018 18:32:09 GMT
www.floor8.com/posts/14933-only-fools-and-horses-is-back-as-a-musical-here-s-all-the-details/partners/43110A recent article confirming more details of the musical and showing who will be playing Del, Rodney and Grandad. Yeah. Remember when I said they shouldn't try and impersonate moments from the series? Well it looks like they'll be doing exactly that I just hope to god that they end up doing the lesser known ones, like that one where they paint the Chinese Takeaway in gold paint and they steer clear of the really obvious/well known ones like the bar fall. I watched a program recently where they talked about OF&H too anti PC for today's political world, and they used the bar fall as an example - when I really think the scene where Del Boy slaps a woman's bottom, something that is literally unacceptable nowadays, would have been a better pick. But that's beside the point. I'm not saying the musical should fail or that anyone working on it isn't 'right in the head' like some have but after this I'm really uncertain as to how it will turn out. I'll go and see it with an open mind but all the same - it looks like it could easily backfire if not handled perfectly.
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Post by Rusty Red Scrap Iron on Sept 19, 2021 14:28:34 GMT
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Post by OldReliableIronNo.2 on Mar 12, 2022 5:24:32 GMT
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Post by Ethan SD (TFT Productions) on Jun 8, 2022 12:46:53 GMT
shazamproductions.co.uk/shazam-productions-wins-court-case/Interesting article about Jim Sullivan (series creator John Sullivan's son, for those unaware) and his company winning a court case against an unlicensed Fools and Horses dining experience. I seem to recall my mother mentioned the Fools and Horses dining experience to me once - didn't know it was a subject of controversy.
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Post by Ethan SD (TFT Productions) on Oct 26, 2022 22:00:31 GMT
Seeing as I was very vocal and critical of the Only Fools and Horses musical on here when it was announced in 2019, I can safely say I watched a performance of the musical myself yesterday as an early birthday present organised by family, and can confirm it's a terrific show. I'll go into detail on why I think I was very sorely mistaken.
I'm a huge fan of Only Fools, it's one of my favourite sitcoms - the characters, the humour, the feel and the tone the series presented has not only inspired some of my own creative works, but I'd love to think it's greatly influenced me as a person too. It's unbridlingly hilarious, but it goes one step further to give the characters a lot of weight and emotion a lot of sitcoms wouldn't.
I greatly feared the notion of the musical was a 'cash-in', that it was probably one step away from the BBC commissioning a new series devoid of what had made the original work so well, etc etc. Doom and gloom abound. I softened to it in time, however - I do honestly think a musical is probably the best way to keep the franchise relevant without outright resorting to a reboot. It was literally being written by the show's creator prior to his death, and isn't something that taints the show's legacy, but gives people the chance to see it play out again in front of their eyes in a new light.
I think it was probably a bold move on John Sullivan's part to frame the musical (spoiler alert) around Rodney and Cassandra's wedding and Del meeting Raquel. Tessa Peake Jones and Gwyneth Strong (Raquel and Cassandra in the show respectively) worked really well in the program but are hardly likely to come up if you stopped a person on the street and asked them what their favourite characters from the show are, compared to say, Uncle Albert, Trigger or Boycie. You'd be mistaken for thinking a Fools and Horses musical would likely centre around Del Boy and Rodney trying to become millionaires and the story ending with that happening. Adapting the Trotters' relationships helps the plot to feel grounded and centred on the family dynamic of the brothers, which was always at the heart of the show. Rodney deals with becoming a husband, while Del is only just coming round to letting another person in his life.
As a fan of the show, they do adapt some of the iconic jokes you would know - one well known to everyone coming at the end and raising the house, but in general the entire thing was irreverently funny - it really captures the quick wit of the show and it was a laugh a minute. Everyone was terrific, but I had a soft spot for Boycie - the actor not only sounding dead-on like John Challis himself (I met him in person 5 years ago, and I was so, so gutted upon his passing) - but (again, without spoiling a great deal), having a particularly memorable musical number with Marlene where, despite being funny, also had a sincere side to it and dealt with the inner relationship issues both faced at the time. Memorable as well was a musical number involving Trigger’s crystal ball - playing into what London looks like in the present day.
If I had to have any issue with the story, and this is remarkably minor, mind you - there’s a subplot involving Del getting caught up with the Driscol Brothers (the gangsters from the show) which doesn’t fully get resolved? It’s borrowing from the wedding episode again - but I seem to recall they were dealt with a lot more conclusively in that than they were here, unless I may have missed or misunderstood something. It’s a shame because the Driscolls were a lot of fun to watch, but as I say, it’s very minor and didn’t destroy the experience for me.
Overall, the musical I feel fully captures the spirit of the show, in terms of humour, sincerity and music - having music contributed by Chas Hodges of the cockney ‘Chas and Dave’ fame prior to his death. It’s one I recommend going to see if you enjoy the show and want to relive the experience of watching it again, but one I think will be enjoyed even for those that haven’t. A ’lubbly jubbly’ time.
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Post by Old Square Wheels on Sept 3, 2023 8:17:13 GMT
The ill-fated US remake of Only Fools and Horses, Kings of Van Nuys. I won't bother with using spoiler tags to tell you this but it's terrible - one of the worst US remakes of a UK sitcom I've seen (in spite of some stiff competition!), which misses the point in almost every possible way.
Still, thanks to WTLNetwork for alerting me to the fact it's finally become available publicly.
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