"Only Fools And Horses - The Musical" Written by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan.

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall.

Bonjour ma petit pois, I have long since been a fan of the TV sit-com, "Only Fools And Horses" so couldn't wait to see what the show was like when turned into a stage musical.

The story is a mix of fan-favourite episodes but mainly follows Del Boy as he looks for love, and meeting Raquel for the first time. Rodney and Cassandra are hoping to buy a flat and get married; Boycie and Marlene are trying for a baby; plus all the unforgettable characters that made the sit-com so good, creating a massive following and love with TV viewers in the 1980's. Characters such as Grandad, Trigger, Denzel and Mickey Pearce and Uncle Albert make appearances along the way as the Trotter's navigate life in 1980s Peckham.

The script and original soundtrack written by John Sullivan's son Jim, and Paul Whitehouse, who appears as Grandad in several of the tour venues, but not Nottingham, it remains faithful to what made the TV series such a success. Along with some brilliant original musical numbers, that old Rockney Cockney vibe is provided by some well chosen choices from Chas 'n' Dave, retaining that cheeky chappy "dahn saarf" feel, and an excellent lookey-likey of Chas Hodges on the old Joanna. There's also the Bill Withers' song "Lovely day" performed as well as a gorgeous soul inspired version of "Holding Back the Years" by Gloria Acqaah-Harrison.

It's quite uncanny that as the show rolls on, the more the actors seem to morph into the characters that we all know and love from the TV series. To start with, it's like going to a waxworks where they look a bit like the celebs that they're supposed to be, and while you know who they should be, the full image isn't quite there. When you're portraying such iconic character such as these, it's be almost impossible to get spitting images, but the likenesses of this cast is frighteningly good.

Derek "Del Boy" Trotter is played by Sam Lupton who has completely mastered the whole Del Boy sound with all of David Jason's idiosyncrasies that have created the TV character that has become such a legendary, and instantly recognisable sit-com personality. There are several scenes where Del Boy is in The Nags Head and you just know that as soon as he goes near that bar flap that we are going to see that most iconic of comedy gold moments when he falls through the flap (even though in the original, it's not in The Nags Head), and he kept us waiting until almost the very end of the play. It was well worth waiting for, believe me. 

Sam gave us all of the Franglais malapropisms that we had come to know and love as well as all of Del's little foibles that we recognise from the show, plus all of the Del Boy catchphrases. In short, it was like watching David Jason if he had signed up for play version of "Only Fools". 

Rodney is played by Tom Major, who makes his professional debut in this role. What a way to make a debut with this show. Tom doesn't look like Nicholas Lyndhurst, but that doesn't matter because, like Sam, Tom has obviously studied the character intently because he gets the sound of Rodders spot on, as well as all of those little awkward movements. 

Phillip Childs plays Grandad, and I don't intend to keep saying just how much the actors sound so much like their TV characters, but Philip looked the spit of Grandad, and then appeared near the end as Uncle Albert, complete with that beard.

Georgina Hagan is Raquel, the actress/stripper who was teamed up via the dating agency for Del. Georgina has a really lovely voice with plenty of power, especially in the song "West End Wendy", which had echoes of a song from another very famous musical!

Nicola Munns plays Marlene as well Cassandra. I absolutely adored her version of Marlene; having met Sue Holderness who played the original Marlene, it was like watching Sue herself, but what a fantastic character actor Nicola is.

Craig Berry is Boycie, and again I've met and interviewed the late John Challis, and the voice technique for Boycie's character was perfect, as was the look.

Kieran Andrew is Trigger. Kieran is one of the understudies for Trigger, which shows just how on their game they have to be, because you would never had known he was standing in for anyone. 

Denzil, one of Del's frequent victims when it comes to dubious antics, is played by Bradley John. 

Peter Watts plays Mickey Pearce and Danny Driscoll. I must mention what a range in voice Peter has as Danny Driscoll, one of the two intimidating brothers; Danny is the thug who does all the thinking whereas Tony Driscoll does not do the thinking, he just uses his fists!

Darryl Paul is Tony Driscoll and Mike, the barman at The Nags Head. 

The Dating Agent, as well as various other characters, is played by Richard J Hunt. there's a scene where Del visits a dating agency and has to tell the agent the kind of woman that he is looking for. the song that the pair perform is called "A Bit Of A Sort", which is almost like a quick-fire duet that is performed by Richard and Sam with split second timing; one of my favourite songs from the soundtrack.

Gloria Acquaah plays Mrs Obookoo, one of the regulars in The Nag's Head, as well as the greasy caff, plus the snooty woman in the bridal shop, sorting out Cassandra's wedding dress. Gloria gets to show off what an incredible vocalist she is though in her solo performance of Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" in a more sombre moment in Act Two.

The ensemble are made up Andrew Bryant, Amanda Coutts, Christopher Arkeston, Rhys Owen, Kieran Andrew, Katie Payne and Oscar Dobbins.

Directed and  Choreographed by Caroline Jay Ranger, this production is a brilliant homage to the Tv show, and fans of the show will not be disappointed by the show with its' loving and loyal appreciation of the original concept. There's also plenty of choreography to keep this musical buzzing along nicely. I have seen quite a few plays that have been created from TV sit-coms, "Fawlty Towers", "Vicar Of Dibley" etc and they have all been recreated brilliantly, using the original scripts welded together to make a fluent two-hour show. Neither of the above were made into musicals, and while the soundtrack is catchy in parts, including the theme tune "Hooky Street", this could have got away with just being a play version due to the strength of the comedy value of the script, but I did like the soundtrack anyway. What I am trying to say is that this show would have been a hit with or without a soundtrack.

Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator and Arranger is Stuart Morley. the soundtrack is written by Paul Whitehouse, John Sullivan, John Sullivan, plus Chas Hodges, Dave Peacock, Stuart Morley, Bill Withers, Kirk Franklin, Skip Scarborough, Mick Hucknall and Neil Moss. With that quality of songwriting, the music was always going to be a big hit on stage. Whoever manages to keep their feet still to Chas 'n' Dave's "Margate" cannot be human, Mon Dieu!

Sound design is by Rory Madden and lighting design is by Ian Scott. These two areas appear simple and neither try to be clever, which make this show very easy to watch and listen to.

The set design is clever and effortlessly transports you from the Trotter's living room, to the Nag's Head pub and Peckham Market smoothly and is designed by Alice Power. 

The animation and video design is really excellent and is thanks to Leo Flint. There's a lovely animated comic section in the scene with Boycie and Marlene when they are at the fertility clinic to go with their song, "The Tadpole Song". 

Costume design is by Liz Ascroft and these designs immediately help you recognise the characters without them even saying a word. Highlights obviously have to be Del's, including that iconic sheepskin coat, Marlene's leopard skin dress, Boycie's suit, as well as a stylish design for Raquel's outfits.

If you're like me and a fan of the TV show, you'll love this show, but you just need to be a fan of well executed comedy to enjoy this production. The characters have been very well observed and you really believe that you're watching the TV characters onstage, which pays the highest tribute to any actor if they can make you believe that, as an audience member, you are seeing who you believe that you're watching, and not the actor themselves. And every actor in this production succeed in doing that.

"Only Fools And Horses The Musical" is at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 16 April.

 "Sister Act" by Kristian Thomas Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

"Sister Act" is the story of Deloris Van Cartier , a nightclub singer who witnesses her boyfriend, gangster and nightclub owner Curtis, shooting one of his henchmen and decides to squeal to the police. She is then hidden within a group of nuns, for her own protection, and teaches them to sing, So well in fact that they are invited to sing in front of the Pope which attracts the attention of the media, and of course Curtis and his henchmen.

And so to my favourite bit...let there be praise! But just before that, let me just state that I have NEVER seen an audience reaction like the one that I experienced, and was part of on Sunday night. It was the loudest and longest standing ovation that I have seen, even for a professional touring production of anything, never mind a professional version of this musical.

Deloris is played by Tiffany Jackson. First question. Why have we not seen this powerhouse performer before? Probably because she has been busy performing all over the UK. What a voice Tiffany has, and the emotion, soul and power behind that voice simply gave me tingles. I've seen several touring productions of "Sister Act" but I'll be damned if I can remember any of the Deloris's after seeing and hearing Tiffany. I must also mention Deloris's final costume, which I can describe in just one word "Fabulous". Donna Summer would have been jealous! 

Eva Sheppard is Tina and Georgina Bateman is Michelle, Deloris's backing singers and dancers. There are so many strengths in this production, and just one of them is the costumes. Eva and Georgina have some fantastic looking costumes that glitter and shine as much as the actors wearing them. Eva's wig completely transforms her looks, and I had to check my programme just to make sure that it was Eva under that dark wig. Their voices blend perfectly as well.

Curtis is played by Joe Millward. I saw Joe in a mini concert called "A Night At The Musicals" a  few week ago and looked completely different to how he looks in this show. The facial hair and wig completely transformed his looks, but did not hide that mighty voice of his. In quite a few other productions of "Sister Act", Curtis was dressed in a 70's style suit; in this production the costume was a more relaxed outfit of the day, which I think suited the character better, and gave the character a slicker, more cool image, which I would have imagined Curtis, as a club owner and entrepreneur back in that decade to have. Joe is quite chameleonic because I can also remember him playing Bill Sikes in "Oliver" at The Duchess and again looked completely different. A very versatile actor.

Loved the comedy from Curtis's flunkies, Joey (Ben Alexander), TJ (David Page), and Pablo (Stephen Mura). Their big song is "The Lady In The Long Black Dress"; the staging for this also had a fresh appeal with the trio addressing a lady in the front row of the audience as they came down from the stage to audience level to serenade the lucky lady, and then exit through the auditorium entrance door.  Yet again, brilliant costumes and wigs, both of which transformed all three actor's looks, and a massive range in their singing voices.

And so to the nuns. Led by Mother Superior, the staid head who, by the end of the play warms nicely towards Deloris, bringing out the human side of the nun, and played by Adela Green. Certain musicals seem to bring out different things in different actors, and this musical has brought out Adela's power in her vocals, especially in "I haven't Got A Prayer", with a note that seemed to tear a hole in the roof of the theatre, such was the power of Adela's voice.

And for comedy you would have to go a long way to beat Sister Mary Lazarus. Played by Louise Curd, she rocked and rapped her way through some rollicking gospel styled songs.

Sister Mary Robert is played by Helen Perry. I know what a cracking voice Helen has, and to play the role that starts off as timid as a nunnery mouse and then, via the confidence that Deloris gives her, ends up as another powerhouse of a singer is a perfect casting decision. "The Life I Never led" is a brilliant powerhouse ballad which has Helen hitting those strong, big notes that, again, sent the tingles down my back.

And then there was the lovely Amy Wicks who plays Sister Mary Patrick, another wonderfully fresh and ballsy performance which really made me smile, constantly.

The  other "sisters" were such a wonderfully talented bunch that regularly brought a smile to my, already Cheshire cat type face, so thank you Georgina Bateman, Eva Sheppard, Sinead Parkin, Alice Cammell, Alana Fay Moran, Laura Jones, Wendy Austin-Giddings, Poppy Cook, Millie Gilks, Sandy Lane, Deborah McPherson and Alysha Gomes. What moves n grooves for sisters of the cloth; and what shiny cloth as well.

Another smaller but equally comical role was from Giles Petit who played the ever excitable, but oh so trendy Monsignor O'Hara, who gradually became a more trendy version of the man of the cloth, ending up with some glittery boots to match his glittery new personality. Giles also played the role of the Drag Queen as well as Ernie, who made a quick exit near the start of the musical, thanks to Curtis.

Another brilliant little role was played by Mark Coffey-Bainbridge as Officer "sweaty" Eddie Souther, the saviour of the piece, if you'd pardon the expression! Mark is no stranger to this musical as he has previously played the role of TJ a few years ago. Mark has naturally funny bones and so this role is perfect for him, and he presents a completely different character for Eddie. I'm not sure if Glenn Quagmire from "Family Guy" was any inspiration but he sounded similar to this character, and that made this character even funnier. Eddie's big song, "I Could Be That Guy" was delivered perfectly, along with the clever double quick change section.

The featured dancers were Abbie Faulkner, Becky Pearcy, Betsymae Kirkland-Ball, Hattie Kemish, Megan Singleton and Gabby Sculthorpe who added extra sparkle and glamour to the show.

Directed by Alysha Gomes. I have mentioned that I have seen this musical on more than one occasion and have seen both professional touring productions as well as quite a few local theatre productions. With no disrespect to any other production, I think that I can say that this is the ultimate production. The cast were perfectly chosen and there were a couple of things in this production that have been amended or included that I had not noticed in any other production, and that responsibility is initially down to the work done by the Director.

Choreographed by Kristian Cunningham. I have nothing but immense respect for Kristian because I know that he has the gift to extract perfect choreography from any performer under his choreograph tuition. He manages to retain that whole 1970's dance vibe which makes you feel that you've been transported back to that specific decade, which is essential for a musical like this. Dance Captain is Megan Singleton.

Set design is by Proscenium Set Ltd with the backdrop thanks to Roydon Charlesworth. Clever revolving set sections as well as slide on curtaining scenes all made for the whole scene changes to be operated smoothly and efficiently.

Costumes are by Jan Brockhurst, Karen Millward and Jules Sheppard and were. like everything else connected to this show, perfect with a lot of originality shown with many of the costumes.

Musical Director is Charlotte Daniel. I've mentioned previously in this review about the vast range of musical style, and because those ranges have been executed so well, brings the focus down to the MD. The actors all have incredible vocal skills, so to be in charge of shaping those incredibly skilled performers must be a joy for Charlotte. Not a bad note among them, only powerful and confident performers who thrilled the sold out auditorium, causing eruptions of applause after every song.

The songs will get your hands clapping, your toes tapping and on your feet at the end of the night. Brilliant rousers like "Take Me To Heaven", "Raise Your Voice" and "Sunday Morning Fever" and some lovely tender moments like "I Haven't Got A Prayer" and "The Life I Never Led" along with some very funny songs (just listen to the words and remember The Floaters "Float On") from TJ, Pablo and Joey with "Lady In The Long Black Dress".

Sound Designer is Dave Dallard with Jack Clark as the second sound man. I love that clear, punchy sound with the music and I heard every word that the actors spoke and the singers sang. I know that this may be rare for me but there was absolutely nothing even slightly negative to comment on with the sound, it was perfectly managed and operated.

Lighting Designer is Stephen Greatorex and operated by Kiah Smith. Like everything else involved in a Kristian Thomas Company production, the lighting was perfect. Lovely contrasts between the sombre black and white lighting for the inside of the nunnery to the club-like lighting, complete with those big mirror balls, for the big show numbers, that stage was completely awash with light. As bright and colourful as the show itself.

I also must commend Stage Manager Lucy Young on such a smooth and swift operation, making the many scene changes as fluid as if you were watching a film of the production.

You can guarantee that if a production has KTco attached to it, then it's going to be the best quality in local theatre that you'll get. This is why the whole of the week is completely sold out due to the quality of everyone involved. From the actors down to the prop management, sound, light, costumes, choreography, direction, hair, make up and the technical team, if it's under the Kristian Thomas Company umbrella, you will never be disappointed with the quality. Fabulous and heavenly entertainment.

"Sister Act" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 26 April.

 "Boys From The Blackstuff" by Alan Bleasdale.

Derby Theatre.

Bill Kenwright Ltd presents the Liverpool’s Royal Court and National Theatre production of Alan Bleasdale’s "Boys From The Blackstuff" by James Graham in this Nationwide tour. 

I can remember watching this as a youngster on TV. Set in early 1980's Liverpool it concerns a group of Liverpudlian tarmac layers (hence the title, "the black stuff" being a slang term for tarmac). Five working class men struggling to keep afloat amidst the recession, the constant interrogation from the department of unemployment ("sniffers") and hiding off the books work from the department’s spies, it is a battle for survival.

The serial was written by Alan Bleasdale as a sequel to a television play titled "The Black Stuff". The British Film Institute described it as a "seminal drama series... a warm, humorous but ultimately tragic look at the way economics affect ordinary people… TV's most complete dramatic response to the Thatcher era and as a lament to the end of a male, working class British culture."

Chrissie, whose marriage is under pressure, is played by George Caple. You get to see the extent that unemployment does to this pair in the second act when there's a full on argument about Chrissie not accepting a paid job due to his pride and respect for his colleagues who were also working off the books.

Angie, Chrissie's wife, is played by Amber Blease. It gets that bad within this family that an argument explodes after Chrissie gives a few slices of stale bread to his pet bird. Angie explains that the bread was for their two kids and that everything in the sparse kitchen was stale but that was all they had. This argument was full of fire and passion, but also shows the frustration with the family. This role is the most prominent female role throughout, and in the TV series was played by Julie Walters.

Loggo, the second-generation immigrant, is played by Jurell Carter, who you may recognise as Nate from Emmerdale, and makes his theatrical debut in this play. After realising that there was nothing that he would miss about Liverpool, Loggo decided to travel to Shetlands. I'm not sure whether the links with this character and Jurell are intended but Jurell, who was born in Leicester actually studied and graduated at The Liverpool Insitute for Performing Arts (LIPA), and Loggo was obviously raised in Liverpool, due to the accent on stage, which was an accurate representation of the Liverpool brogue. Also, when Nate left Emmerdale, he was supposed to have gone to The Shetlands, and this is where he was heading at the end of the play. Coincidence or what?

George Malone, played by Ged McKenna is a wonderful, old school character who becomes more ill throughout the play. When his son dies in an accident in Middlesborough, his health goes downhill until......

Reiss Barber plays Snowy Malone, a man who takes great pride in his plastering skills, even going as far as to sign his work, just like the great artists. Snowy dies while trying to escape a social security raid while on a job and his death is a significant event in the play, highlighting the hardships and struggles faced by working-class characters in the Liverpool area. 

Dixie Dean, the Foreman, is played by Mark Womack. Dixie has a sense of right and wrong, even though he is moonlighting as a security guard on the docks when he discovers that there's a racket going on with others who like to get first dibs on the stuff that is coming in and going out on the ships. Dixie refuses, at first, the offer of new boots, but is seen later in the play wearing them.

Kyle Harrison-Pope plays Kevin Dean, the son of Dixie Dean, who is introduced into the group a little later on in the play.

Yosser Hughes, whose catchphrase was heard on every street and playground at the time was "Gizza Job" is played by Jay Johnson. there was even a record released under the title "Gizza Job", which goes to show what an impact the TV Series and Yosser, who was played in the TV series by the late Bernard Hill, made on the country.

This character is the most broken, and the most desperate to fit into society with a job, hence his catchphrase. If things don't go well for him, his response is with violence and to nut the other person. Nowadays men's mental health is quite openly discussed but back in the 1980s it was practically unheard of, or at least not recognised as such. Jay shows us through Yosser how easy this can spiral, and there's a scene when he is arrested by the police for yet another assault that becomes the most alarming scene in the whole play.

Ms Sutcliffe, who is in charge of "sniffing out" those who may be working while receiving unemployment benefit, is played by Sian Polhill-Thomas. She sticks to the dole office script when investigating and interviewing the men, but at the end we see a very different side of the play's character. 

Jamie Peacock plays Donald Moss. He is fairly new to the workings of the unemployment office and is eager for the chase and to show what he can do, so Ms Sutcliffe provides him with that opportunity, by putting him in charge of his own locality to sniff out the rats. This obviously does not go down well on his first case when the lads spot him and recognise him.

Graham Elwell is Malloy in Thursday's production, standing in for Sean Kingsley. Malloy is described as a deplorable building site manager. He is a figure of authority who employs characters like Chrissie, Dixie, Yosser, Loggo, and George. 

Elliott Kingsley and Victoria Oxley make up the ensemble and the cast also play various other characters throughout the play.

Although this story is rooted in 1980's political culture, the story of unemployment and tightening of one's belt, as well as immigration issues are exactly the same as today's economical climate; some things just never change, showing this situation and story to be as relevant today as it was forty years ago.

Directed by Kate Wasserberg who manages to bring that dark and depressive feel to the stage. The scene that I alluded to earlier regarding Yosser and the police was created so well. The whole scene is done in slow motion with everyone's pace matching. If this had not been in front of my eyes, I would have thought that it was a pre filmed section because the intensity of the scene was simply jaw dropping. You managed to get every ounce of pain and passion that was embedded into that one section.

Act One was almost like a constant montage of smaller scenes which depicted the past and present situations that led up to the what was then the future which was the purpose of the whole of the second act. This in itself made the play a pacy affair and delivered a lot of information through these snapshots of the characters' lives.

Set and Costume Design is by Amy Jane Cook. The set was bordered by girders to give the atmosphere of the dock and heavy working environment. The other scenes were brought into place with great pace.

Lighting Design is by Ian Scott. There's a nice comparative blend of dark and light which also reflects the mood for that specific section of the play.

The Original Music and Sound Design is by Dyfan Jones. There are some lovely use of folk songs and sea shanties, as well as original pieces in this drama, all delivered by the cast as soundbites. This created a unity in the men's work and family life while also creating that dark air of depression as well as more upbeat parts.

Video Design is by Jamie Jenkin and this is what you get to see from even before the play starts. Scenes that I assumed showed the black and white River Mersey and the docklands around that area. There's also a very poignant piece depicting the death of Snowy, again making a big impact.

I was around in time to remember this area of depression and the frustration of not having enough money to live on, so this play brings back many memories for me. It also serves as a very accurate history lesson to others who were not around for this period of history. It's also a frightening reminder that in the current political and economic climate that these scenarios may just be around the corner. 

I've always loved the grittiness and the realism of Northern writers like Alan Bleasdale and this is one of his finest. Team this quality of work with James Graham as playwright and this is a brilliant Northern tour de theatrical force. If the name James Graham seems to ring a bell, his most recent work was "Punch" that was recently showcased at Nottingham Playhouse and is now in the west End and is headed for America. Graham also wrote the TV series "Sherwood".

"Boys From The Blackstuff" is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 19 April.