If you were concerned about how your fond memories of one of the most iconic television sitcoms in history would be translated onto the stage four decades later, I am here to allay your fears. One of the original writers and its star John Cleese – who penned Fawlty Towers with fellow lead Connie Booth – has done a marvellous job taking his favourite moments and turning them into 100 minutes of hilarious and joyful entertainment.
In a list drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, as voted by industry professionals, it was named the best British television series of all time. Only two series, each of six episodes, were made – one in 1975, when Cleese was still married to Booth, and another in 1979. Like this stage play, they were set in a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, on the “English Riviera”.
The theatrical production has retained all the colourfully drawn characters from TV, with Basil Fawlty (Stephen Hall), manic, snobbish, condescending, sycophantic and rude, again the natural centerpiece around whom events unfold. His bossy wife Sybil (Blazey Best) – she with that silly laugh who loves to talk on the phone – orders her husband around at every opportunity. She is about to enter hospital to have an ingrown toenail attended to. But first Sybil causes Basil to turn into a cowering wimp when she drops the news that hotel inspectors may be paying them a visit. Overeager to impress, Basil attempts to ingratiate himself to his guests that he suspects are there to critique the establishment.
At the same time, he has to deal with a deaf and dotty guest from hell, Mrs Richards (Deborah Kennedy), whose complaints about missing money prevent Basil from hiding a gambling win from his ever-vigilant wife. And the serially forgetful Major (Paul Bertram), to whom Basil entrusts his “ill-gotten gain”, proves to be more a hindrance than a help. The situation is further plagued by the arrival of a party of Germans, whom Basil proceeds to rile with constant references to “the War”. Thank goodness for Polly (Aimee Horne), the unflappable and sensible employee par excellence. The same can’t be said for Manuel (Syd Brisbane), the hapless Spanish waiter from Barcelona, who is forever the butt of Basil’s frustration. So, Basil is at it again, trying to run the hotel amidst farcical situations and an array of demanding and eccentric guests.
Fawlty Towers Live is a hoot from start to finish. All key performers do an excellent job mimicking both the speech patterns and affectations of those we know and love from television. Physically, they resemble the characters as closely as they can.
The set – a most impressive two storey creation by Liz Ascroft, with a bedroom upstairs and the reception area and restaurant on the ground level – is a triumph, too, again channeling the familiarity of TV. It was always going to be a challenge to bring back such a crowd favourite, particularly as it needed to be turned into a live show that was four times the length of any single episode on “the box”. But Cleese, director Caroline Jay Ranger and a super cast of 15 have succeeded beyond any and all expectations. They have well and truly retained the misadventure, fun and frivolity of Fawlty Towers, giving us a rib tickling night of entertainment that I will likely continue to smile about in months and, possibly, years to come.
Fawlty Towers Live is playing at The Comedy Theatre in Melbourne before moving to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide from 26th October, The Regal Theatre in Perth on 17th November and The Playhouse in Brisbane on 28th December.
Alex First
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television