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Post by inthenose on May 9, 2021 15:17:23 GMT
Any ticket offers around for this? I'd like to take my Mum to see it, but can't afford paying £180 for two good tickets...
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Post by Mark on May 9, 2021 16:36:54 GMT
Any ticket offers around for this? I'd like to take my Mum to see it, but can't afford paying £180 for two good tickets... I’d hold on for now. It was a regular on TKTS by the time the theatres shut last year.
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Post by inthenose on Sept 26, 2021 0:45:10 GMT
If anyone is interested, there are finally some offers for this, they are evening performances only Mon-Thurs in October and November. Full details on the TheatreMonkey (thank you Steve) website to book via Ticketmaster with no booking fee. Same offer is on TodayTix, but not sure if there is a booking fee.
In terms of this show, for £35 each how is the centre of the front row stage height wise, if anyone happens to know? It's either that or £35 each for the second row of the dress circle (B26-27) off to the side but these have red value on TM and I am concerned about restricted view.
Thank you!
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Post by mkb on Oct 4, 2021 22:39:42 GMT
In terms of this show, for £35 each how is the centre of the front row stage height wise, if anyone happens to know? It's either that or £35 each for the second row of the dress circle (B26-27) off to the side but these have red value on TM and I am concerned about restricted view. Thank you! Sat front row dead centre tonight. Stage was about 8 inches higher than my eyes. (I'm 5'8".) The scenery is on a revolve, so the rear of each scene only ever goes back as far as the centre of the revolve. You miss the lower two foot at that point. Although there's a little dancing, there's nothing of significance that you miss. I was checking at the end, and row E was the first from which I could see the stage floor unrestricted. The bigger problem was audience behaviour. Several people around me were well oiled and talking regularly and loudly. I think they thought they were watching tv and a running Gogglebox-style commentary was required. I swerved the programme at £10 a pop. That's pure greed. £6 for a tiny 125ml wine too. We popped to the pub opposite the Pinter at the interval, and had a decent 175ml wine for £4.95. No loo queue or crowding either. The cast gave it their all, but the material was pretty weak. There were a few smiles but nothing really very funny. We had understudy Chris Bennett as Del Boy. Aside from looking uncannily like Tommy Robinson, he was excellent, and a far more convincing wide boy than David Jason ever was. It's Oscar Conlon-Morrey who steals the show though playing several comic characters. Three stars (just). Act 1: 19:30-20:41 Act 2: 21:02-22:03
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Post by inthenose on Oct 5, 2021 0:15:24 GMT
In terms of this show, for £35 each how is the centre of the front row stage height wise, if anyone happens to know? It's either that or £35 each for the second row of the dress circle (B26-27) off to the side but these have red value on TM and I am concerned about restricted view. Thank you! Sat front row dead centre tonight. Stage was about 8 inches higher than my eyes. (I'm 5'8".) The scenery is on a revolve, so the rear of each scene only ever goes back as far as the centre of the revolve. You miss the lower two foot at that point. Although there's a little dancing, there's nothing of significance that you miss. I was checking at the end, and row E was the first from which I could see the stage floor unrestricted. The bigger problem was audience behaviour. Several people around me were well oiled and talking regularly and loudly. I think they thought they were watching tv and a running Gogglebox-style commentary was required. I swerved the programme at £10 a pop. That's pure greed. £6 for a tiny 125ml wine too. We popped to the pub opposite the Pinter at the interval, and had a decent 175ml wine for £4.95. No loo queue or crowding either. The cast gave it their all, but the material was pretty weak. There were a few smiles but nothing really very funny. We had understudy Chris Bennett as Del Boy. Aside from looking uncannily like Tommy Robinson, he was excellent, and a far more convincing wide boy than David Jason ever was. It's Oscar Conlon-Morrey who steals the show though playing several comic characters. Three stars (just). Act 1: 19:30-20:41 Act 2: 21:02-22:03 Thank you ever so much!
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Post by ceebee on Nov 12, 2021 23:01:17 GMT
Thanks to the over-friendly chap in J15 tonight who got up five times in the show to go to the loo, get a drink or snort his coke. And thanks also to the same man for his attempts to clap the audience (and the show) into life.
Cheers pal, you made a £25 Today Tix bargain feel like a rip-off.
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Post by mattnyc on Nov 14, 2021 13:04:37 GMT
Ah, it sounds like the audience is picking up right where it left off. Seen it twice pre-shutdown and the last time there was a fistfight in the back of the Circle when one man was so drunk he couldn’t find his seat and started yelling out for someone he knew and when he was told to shut up, he just punched the guy. Then there was the party next to me who alternated getting up and getting drinks for all 8 people in their group for the entire show. Then one girl drank so much she fell asleep and started loudly snoring and when someone tapped her to wake her, her boyfriend (husband?) stood up and threatened to knock him out if he ever touched her again so, another fight.
Good times.
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Post by Rory on Nov 14, 2021 23:37:00 GMT
Ah, it sounds like the audience is picking up right where it left off. Seen it twice pre-shutdown and the last time there was a fistfight in the back of the Circle when one man was so drunk he couldn’t find his seat and started yelling out for someone he knew and when he was told to shut up, he just punched the guy. Then there was the party next to me who alternated getting up and getting drinks for all 8 people in their group for the entire show. Then one girl drank so much she fell asleep and started loudly snoring and when someone tapped her to wake her, her boyfriend (husband?) stood up and threatened to knock him out if he ever touched her again so, another fight. Good times. You never got this carry on at the Haymarket when Duncan C. Weldon put on the likes of Heartbreak House!
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Post by Mark on Dec 9, 2021 23:04:49 GMT
Finally saw this tonight with a friend of mine who isn’t a theatre buff, but is certainly an Only Fools fan. I’ve never watched the tv series (yea, really) but I must say I did quite enjoy it. I certainly liked it more than Hex last weekend! Some good numbers and instantly likeable characters. Great set and just… easy to watch, and very funny at times.
Keeping with the theme, there was something going on at the area behind the dress circle about 20 mins in. Lots of shouting and obscenities thrown until they (presumable) were removed.
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Post by inthenose on Feb 9, 2022 18:41:46 GMT
Interval of the show now. Some of the worst audience members I have every experienced. Changing seats, on phones and generally being extremely rude. The FOH team don’t bother to intervene at all and ruines the show. Same 4 chords in every song This will be gone in the next few months, won’t survive in the West End. A UK Tour prior to a West End engagement would have suited this type of show much better. Oof. A very busy matinee today in 2022 somewhat dated this comment...
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Post by inthenose on Feb 10, 2022 17:31:41 GMT
I finally got to see this show and I absolutely LOVED it. As fans of the show, my Mum and I went in wanting to like this, but unsure we actually would. As with other dearly loved pieces, such as "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg", we have been stung before. But it was a riot! We got gorgeous seats for yesterday's matinee in the third row of the Royal Circle, a bargainous £25 each via TodayTix rush (normally £105).
I found it absolutely joyous from the get go. It is very much a show which is the sum of its parts. It is packed full of references, and being mindful of spoilers, let's just say nothing gets missed. Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan were very thorough! Whether it's an offhand reference to Peckham Spring, Tony Angelino or the van rolling onto the revolve (and immediately breaking down) - everything fans could want is there and they absolutely lapped it up.
The music I would charitably call a "mixed bag". There are some really funny numbers - "The Tadpole Song" brought the house down, as did "A Bit of a Sort", and some which really didn't work ("Gaze Into My Ball") but overall the songs did enough to make it a genuine musical adaptation rather than "The Best of Only Fools: LIVE". The score of this certainly isn't the USP - it's serviceable for what the show needs, but I doubt the soundtrack will get a lot of action from me when it arrives. Very strange decision to include a couple (two - this isn't a jukebox musical) of licensed songs, which while faithful to the show, were rather jarring.
The sound was crystal clear from our seats (a million miles off how inaudible much of Wicked was last week) and the sets filled the admittedly tiny stage appropriately. What I did find a little curious was that there are projections onto the back cyclorama throughout (some very funny ones at times, such as in "The Tadpole Song"), but there is a giant static Nags Head pub flat right in the middle of the stage, blocking most of it the entire time. Obviously, the projections are designed for either side of this, but there is a moment in the second act with Rodney and Cassandra which looks very strange, given the alleged setting of the scene.
The cast were incredible. I saw full the cast, with the exception of Lisa Bridge who covered Raquel (who was fine). Tom Bennett makes Del Boy his own - he actually had a few stumbles over the text early on but recovered quickly. He grew more and more and some scenes (notably with Raquel) were actually rather touching. Decent singing voice and surprisingly good dancer too! Ryan Hutton, making his professional debut(!) was equally excellent as Rodney. The audience love Paul Whitehouse, with long applause for his entrance(s) - you'll see what I mean! The standouts for me though were Jeff Nicholson's eerily uncanny Boycie and a fabulous multi-character turn by Oscar Conlon-Morrey. Two exceptional supporting performances which, if this were any other show, would get rightful raves.
There isn't much dancing - it's really not that kind of show, but some of the direction and choreography I thought was actually really good. I loved the little step on "c'est magnifique, Hooky Street" for example. Just good, clean fun.
Whitehouse mentioned at the curtain call that it would've been Lennard Pearce's 106th birthday and that he was a personal fan of his. I think this pretty much sums up the show, the love and deference it has been given. Some posts prior in this thread called this a "cash grab" - I don't think that could be further from the truth. This isn't a Disney-style "for the stage" adaptation by a faceless mega company, this was a passion project about a dearly loved British institution, made to happen by a handful of individuals.
There is just so much heart and soul in this show.
This all comes with a huge caveat: I simply couldn't recommend this show to non-fans. It is a love letter to the series, the characters and the beloved cast. There is nothing here to win new fans, it won't change your opinion if you happen to hate "Only Fools". It is worth mentioning that the final ever Only Fools and Horses episode was watched by 24 million people, the single highest ever British TV audience for a non-sporting programme, so it is safe to say the public have an appetite for it - no matter what many in this thread have claimed.
The journey to the gents in the Royal Circle is bizarre! When you finally arrive, there are two tiny urinals and one cubicle. Not good. Luckily I only needed a tinkle, as there was a queue of four blokes. The queue for the ladies was awful too.
Finally the audience... on the one hand, they were very enthusiastic, laughing in the right places, good ovations and clearly were having a great time. On the other hand, a woman behind me cracking open cans of lager throughout and getting increasingly more drunk, which was a bit irritating. Appalled at the lack of mask wearing, especially from what was an older audience - I'd say only around 5% were wearing masks. Very, very poor.
I'll be booking to see this again - 5*
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 10, 2022 18:13:21 GMT
inally the audience... on the one hand, they were very enthusiastic, laughing in the right places, good ovations and clearly were having a great time. On the other hand, a woman behind me cracking open cans of lager throughout and getting increasingly more drunk, which was a bit irritating. Something must be wrong! Normally that would describe half the crowd and, if you haven't seen at least two audience fights before the interval, you should ask for your money back!
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Post by inthenose on Feb 10, 2022 18:15:24 GMT
inally the audience... on the one hand, they were very enthusiastic, laughing in the right places, good ovations and clearly were having a great time. On the other hand, a woman behind me cracking open cans of lager throughout and getting increasingly more drunk, which was a bit irritating. Something must be wrong! Normally that would describe half the crowd and, if you haven't seen at least two audience fights before the interval, you should ask for your money back! I think the midweek matinee aspect (and average age of the audience!) might have saved me from the more loutish behaviour this time around. When I go back it might be a different story!
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Post by ceebee on Feb 11, 2022 0:15:02 GMT
Something must be wrong! Normally that would describe half the crowd and, if you haven't seen at least two audience fights before the interval, you should ask for your money back! I think the midweek matinee aspect (and average age of the audience!) might have saved me from the more loutish behaviour this time around. When I go back it might be a different story! I particularly enjoyed the "pois au fromage" from Del Boy - a nice little nod to Paul Whitehouse's "cheesey peas" sketch in The Fast Show. Bonjour, bonjour.
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Post by inthenose on Feb 11, 2022 22:06:13 GMT
I think the midweek matinee aspect (and average age of the audience!) might have saved me from the more loutish behaviour this time around. When I go back it might be a different story! I particularly enjoyed the "pois au fromage" from Del Boy - a nice little nod to Paul Whitehouse's "cheesey peas" sketch in The Fast Show. Bonjour, bonjour. I actually didn't pick up on this one - aren't clever references brilliant?! I'll get me coat.
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Post by fansylvanians on Mar 11, 2022 13:20:15 GMT
OFAH is no longer listed as a TodayTix rush show.
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Post by mhumphries on Mar 12, 2022 19:23:32 GMT
OFAH is no longer listed as a TodayTix rush show. Crap, was planning to use them for a performance on the 25th. Do the official website release day tickets for a Friday performance or is it mainly mid-week?
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Post by Paulw on Mar 13, 2022 21:28:34 GMT
OFAH is no longer listed as a TodayTix rush show. Crap, was planning to use them for a performance on the 25th. Do the official website release day tickets for a Friday performance or is it mainly mid-week? They do at 11am but it says for selected performances subject to availability I would have a look on Friday and see what it offers and you will then know for the 25th other option might be TKTS on the day, they might be a little more than TodayTix but still a bit cheaper
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Post by enh2 on Mar 14, 2022 11:19:30 GMT
OFAH is no longer listed as a TodayTix rush show. It's only booking until May which is only 2 months away? I do wonder if the show is rounding up it's West End run
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Post by Mark on Apr 1, 2022 22:50:19 GMT
Still only booking to end of May, but seems to be selling pretty well still. Odd that a new block of tickets hasn't yet been put on sale.
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Post by enh2 on Apr 6, 2022 9:15:57 GMT
Only Fools and Horses the Musical has extended its run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 1st October 2022.
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Post by Mark on May 10, 2022 12:36:23 GMT
If anyone is after a very cheap way to see this, TKTS seems to have some great deals at the moment. £10 for Front row stalls and side dress circle seats. £20 for prime stalls seats.
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Post by ceebee on May 10, 2022 14:59:15 GMT
If anyone is after a very cheap way to see this, TKTS seems to have some great deals at the moment. £10 for Front row stalls and side dress circle seats. £20 for prime stalls seats. Stick a pony in your pocket... and get some change!
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Post by inthenose on May 10, 2022 15:31:01 GMT
And I can't rave about this show enough (for fans of the show especially - like me - these offers are fantastic). This has done well and had a tidy run.
Thank you for the heads up!!!
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Post by ceebee on May 10, 2022 15:58:58 GMT
And I can't rave about this show enough (for fans of the show especially - like me - these offers are fantastic). This has done well and had a tidy run. Thank you for the heads up!!! I'll second that. This show is fun - Oscar Conlon-Morrey is superb in it.
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Post by enh2 on Jul 15, 2022 9:06:08 GMT
Only Fools and Horses has extended its West End run until 7 January 2023.
Les Dennis will play Grandad from 3 October.
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Post by Jon on Jul 15, 2022 9:13:15 GMT
I wonder if this might be the final extension?
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Jul 15, 2022 10:23:00 GMT
October 1st seems to be the date of a massive cast change around. The only main cast staying on are Tom Bennett as Del Boy, Ryan Hutton as Rodney, and Nicola Munns as Cassandra and now Marlene.
They’ve also combined more tracks, so Cassandra and Marlene are the same actress, as is Mickey Pearce and Danny Driscoll. They’ve merged tracks previously (merging the Dating Agent’s track with one of the Driscoll brothers)
I don’t think they’d do that big of a change around and bring in Les Dennis as Grandad if they were planning this as the last extension. But it does indicate that Paul Whitehouse might not be returning as Grandad as previously hoped.
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Post by Mark on Jul 15, 2022 11:08:05 GMT
October 1st seems to be the date of a massive cast change around. The only main cast staying on are Tom Bennett as Del Boy, Ryan Hutton as Rodney, and Nicola Munns as Cassandra and now Marlene. They’ve also combined more tracks, so Cassandra and Marlene are the same actress, as is Mickey Pearce and Danny Driscoll. They’ve merged tracks previously (merging the Dating Agent’s track with one of the Driscoll brothers) I don’t think they’d do that big of a change around and bring in Les Dennis as Grandad if they were planning this as the last extension. But it does indicate that Paul Whitehouse might not be returning as Grandad as previously hoped. It could mean they are getting it ready to tour (where it would do very well I would imagine).
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Aug 6, 2022 22:40:48 GMT
I’ve seen this show 3 times and I’m definitely going to go again before cast change. It’s not Sondheim but not all shows need to be, and writing it off as a cashgrab is really reductive when it’s obvious how much love has been put into this show from a creative standpoint. It’s a love letter to the TV show and a fun time for anyone with even a passing knowledge of the characters.
Also, it’s really funny reading through the backlog of this thread and seeing the amount of people in 2019 confidently declaring that it was definitely going to close immediately and how it was going to be a dreadful disaster. I don’t want to call people snobs for having different tastes, but so many people hate on shows for daring to be a fun time when high-brow shows can exist alongside crowd-pleasers. And if it convinces some non-theatre goers to give other musicals a chance, then that’s a bonus!
If you enjoy crowd-pleasing shows like Back To The Future, give this a chance.
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