Writer: John Cleese
Director: Caroline Jay Ranger
It can’t be that hard running a hotel, can it?
Fawlty Towers is one of the most quintessentially British sitcoms in history and it is very hard to find someone who is not familiar with the constant vexation of Basil Fawlty. Created by John Cleese of Monty Python fame and Connie Booth, the original television series ran for only two renowned seasons but has lived on in the British comedy pantheon.
After refusing to make a movie of the series, Cleese, after many decades, came round to the idea of adapting Fawlty Towers as a West End play. A perfect match as much of what inspired the original series was the classic farcical stage comedies that Cleese grew up on. After many years in the making, the end product does not disappoint.
The show is amalgamated from three of the series’ episodes, picking out the best bits for a theatrical staging. The famous foyer and dining room of the Fawlty Towers hotel are brought to life in a painstakingly reimagined set designed by Liz Ascroft, faithfully reproducing all of the little details, desk bells and dining tables included. It feels like watching a real-life version of the television show.
The issue with faithfully adapting a show like Fawlty Towers is to bring something new to the table while also remaining true to the original material. Director Caroline Jay Ranger’s realisation of the world of Fawlty Towers dusts off some of the grime of its 1970s social context and distils what is at the heart of what made the series so beloved: the true moments of outrageous comedy.
No one fits the bill better than Adam Jackson-Smith’s performance as Basil Fawlty. It is an understatement to say that Jackson-Smith had big shoes to fill, but he takes on Cleese’s original character as if it were his own. His moments of insanity and hatred towards his hotel guests are pitch-perfect. Anna Jane-Casey’s take on Sybil Fawlty is more on the nagging side of things, while Hemi Yeroham’s Manuel, the loveable Spanish waiter, is a joy to watch.
As is the case with the short-lived television series itself, the play does leave you wanting more. With a second-act climax that feels like it cuts off too soon, the play as a whole deserves a more unifying through-line to push towards a satisfying conclusion.
The play brings Fawlty Towers to the stage in the most faithful ways possible, transplanting the farce of the series onto the stage as if you could have been there in the studio when it was filmed.
Runs until 28 September 2024
