The cast of Only Fools And Horses: The Musical reportedly faced sickening racist heckling from a member of the audience during a recent performance at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, West London. Shockwaves were sent through the audience on Friday night as cast members, such as Bradley John as lorry driver Denzil Tulser and Gloria Acquaah-Harrison portraying Mrs Obooko, were subjected to sickening outbursts by an individual in attendance.
Some of the performers were reportedly left “visibly upset” following the disruption. Responding to the incident, officials from the musical released an online statement denouncing the behaviour.
The statement said: “Here at Only Fools and Horses The Musical we always act with respect and kindness towards ourselves and others. We do expect our audiences to do the same.”
The address further underlined a zero-tolerance stance on hostility: “Any unkind comments, bullying, discrimination or any form of abuse towards our cast or company members will not be tolerated by the producers or theatres. We expect respect on and off stage.”
Additionally, they declared their commitment to uphold a supportive climate: “We are committed to working closely with the venue teams to ensure that our cast, company and audiences embrace an environment of respect, inclusivity and safety.”, reports the Mirror.
A source who witnessed the abuse told the Sun: “It was a rowdy crowd, with everyone in the Christmas spirit. But this idiot spoiled the performance for those in ear shot. Security were unable to identify the culprit and eject them.”
Another added that “cast members were visibly upset” by what was going on. “They couldn’t believe what they were hearing,” they said.
The show features Paul Whitehouse taking on the role of Grandad, and currently sees tough-guy Vinnie Jones strutting his stuff during its spectacular three-week residency. Just last week, TV legend Sir David Jason attended the gala night of Only Fools and Horses The Musical in London, where he took a nostalgic trip down Peckham’s memory lane.
The 84 year old veteran, revered for his portrayal of wheeler-dealer Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in the much-loved BBC sitcom from 1981 to 1991, and in sporadic specials thereafter, described the production as a poignant ‘memory’ for him. Post-performance, he shared his thoughts: “It’s very, very good. What I did like about it was so much of the original script was used and they did it so well that sometimes it took me by surprise. The whole show was a memory for me of the whole thing – the script, the characters. It was lovely to see them all and everybody was working so well together, very much like we did.”
With an emotional pause, he confessed how close he was to shedding tears at the sight of the beloved characters revived on stage, articulating: “I’m going to have a boo now. I’m so moved.”