By Mim Williams
Running for just two series from 1975 to 1979, John Cleese and Connie Booth’s Fawlty Towers remains one of the best-loved British sitcoms of them all. Although I was young when it aired, I remember my parents howling at our big box television, and I have fond memories of a funny little waiter earning a few clips around the ear. When Your Local Link was invited to check out the opening night of Fawlty Towers – The Play at York Grand Opera House, I couldn’t resist a night out down memory lane…
There was not an empty seat in sight, and I could sense the anticipation from the audience, who seemed to be wishing, like me, to be transported back in time to Torquay’s most famous dysfunctional hotel. I was happy to see that the stage set was almost a replica of the hotel as I remembered it from the television all those years ago, with the iconic reception desk, dining room, and staircase faithfully recreated.
Written by John Cleese himself and directed by Caroline Jay Ranger (Trainspotting The Musical, Early Doors: Live), the play cleverly reworks a trio of the best-loved episodes of the television show: The Hotel Inspectors, Communication Problems, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, The Germans. Cleese must have had one hell of a task when it came to condensing and combining three episodes into one stage show – but, for our money, he succeeded!
Danny Bayne (Tell Me You Love Me, Only Fools and Horses) did a fantastic job of stepping into Basil Fawlty’s shoes. He played the role of the stressed-out, snobbish hotel manager so well, with all of the frantic energy necessary to faithfully pay homage to John Cleese’s iconic performances. Meanwhile, Mia Austen (Ludwig, Save Me) did an excellent job of portraying Basil’s long-suffering, ever-nagging wife, Sybil, famously portrayed by Prunella Scales in the TV show. With her grating, infectious laugh and iconic hair and clothing, Austen had Sybil’s persona down to a tee. Fans of the show will be happy to learn that I found Basil and Sybil’s highly dysfunctional, love-hate relationship translated brilliantly from the screen to the stage.
Beloved background characters who also made a welcome appearance included the tyrannical, hard-of-hearing guest Mrs Richards (Jemma Churchill), the trigger-happy and increasingly senile Major (Paul Nicholas) and, arguably, the brains behind the operation, the ever-exasperated maid and waitress, Polly (Joanne Clifton). A special shout-out also goes to Hemi Yeroman, who played the bumbling waiter Manuel exactly as I remembered him as a young child watching the show on television – a frantic little waiter causing havoc throughout the hotel, and giving poor old Basil more than a headache or two…
Packed with spectacularly funny set pieces (the Major’s gun and the ‘talking’ moose head were highlights for me) and plenty of punchlines, as you’d expect from a Fawlty Towers show, this must-see play was a joy to watch unfold on the stage – we belly laughed all night, and as soon as we exited the theatre, I wanted to get home and start watching the show again, and reliving those many happy memories of sitting in front of the TV with my family.
Have a great time if you’re thinking of catching the show before its run comes to an end this weekend – just remember, don’t mention the war!
Fawlty Towers – The Play runs at York Grand Opera House until Saturday, 23 May. Visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/fawlty-towers-the-play/grand-opera-house-york/ to book your tickets.
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