Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Fawlty Towers is the best worst hotel you will ever visit!

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On Tuesday, we attended Fawlty Towers The Play at The Manchester Opera House. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this iconic show...

It doesn’t get more British than Fawlty Towers – the hugely successful sitcom based on the best of the worst bed and breakfasts our seaside resorts have to offer! Famously devised and written by John Cleese and Connie Booth following their own unique experiences of a staycation in such a hotel, it first took the UK by storm in 1975 and has had a devoted set of fans ever since. Now it is back and wowing audiences both old and new with all the characters we know and love, causing charismatic chaos in theatres up and down the country. Adapted for stage by the one and only John Cleese, the show remains authentically Fawlty Towers throughout, ensuring an endearing nostalgia through our neurotic and nightmarish hotelier, his staff, and the eclectic gaggle of guests they serve. Following a record-breaking sold-out West End run, where it received critical acclaim, Fawlty Towers The Play is a heady punch bowl mixture of all the favourite moments from three of the TV shows most iconic episodes – The Hotel Inspector, Communication Problems, and The Germans. So make those reservations and get yourself an early check in because you need as much time as possible to soak up every inch of this British institution. Whether you are an avid fan or checking out the hotel for the first time, this is a family, fun filled night out that will clear away the winter blues.

Directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, the farcical nature of Fawlty Towers makes it the perfect show to find a new home on the stage. Basil is in near melt down mode as he discovers the hotel inspectors are on their way, and he mistakenly assumes one of his guests, the eccentric Mr. Hutchinson is indeed said inspector. As he strives to impress the wrong person, amidst the usual chaos that is Fawlty Towers, things unravel to epic proportions as he tries to disguise the hotels shortfalls, of which there are many, including a kitchen fire during a routine fire drill! Already stressed with Sybil out of action yet checking up on him every few minutes, Basil is then concussed courtesy of a falling moose and finds himself trying to book in some German guests without mentioning the war – of course we all know he fails miserably! But surely all is not lost for Basil, as one of his guests bestows him with a great racing tip, but as another guest Mrs. Richards misplaces some money just as Basil’s winnings are handed over, things don’t go quite according to plan, especially as Mrs. Richards refuses to switch her hearing aid on in case it wears down the batteries! Expect laughs a plenty, utter pandemonium, and a fabulous collection of loveable, riotous characters in this unpredictable, undeniably bonkers show! There are so many nuggets and Easter Eggs in there from other episodes too that those fans in the know could be heard giggling away as they understood the potential chaos, especially when Manuels missing hamster Basil is mistaken for a rat!

Danny Bayne (Grease, Only Fools & Horses, Saturday Night Fever) is physical comedy gold as Basil Fawlty, embodying this stressed out, hyperactive, bumbling character who loathes his guests as much as he does the war! His energy is infectious, his plight hilarious, and his comedic timing perfection! This character, more than any other, had to be delivered well for the show to have any kudos, and Bayne not only knocked it out the park, he charged it to get back in! Basil’s other half Sybil is catapulted to icon status courtesy of Mia Austen (London Wall, Pygmalion, Call The Midwife). The play opens with her infamous laugh, and that was all it took to have the entire theatre laughing and hooked. A flawless performance, and not only was that nasal, droll voice alive once more, it was actually a surprisingly emotional watch following the recent passing of our dear Prunella Scales, the characters originator. A huge amount of heart was given to the show by Prunella Scales performance, and Austen honoured that beautifully. With many of the show’s catchphrases coming from our well- meaning but catastrophically clumsy waiter Manuel, Hemi Yeroham (La Cage Aux Folles, Habibti Driver, Jews. In Their Own Words) had very a huge task but he accomplished it with ease, holding the audience in the palm of his hand as he uttered the words we all wanted to hear, “I’ know nothing! I’m from Barcelona!” His timing was delicious as he knew exactly how long to string out the anticipation for maximum impact.

Joanne Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing, Hairspray, Shrek) brings a vivacious and calming energy as Polly, continually drawn into Basil’s madcap plans with a desire to please and keep the standard as professional as possible. It is a wonderfully charming performance that completely embodies the glorious mix of chaos, uncertainty, and heart to be found at Fawlty Towers. Watching Paul Nicholas (The Real Marigold Hotel, Eastenders, Just Good Friends, JCS) as The Major was everything I didn’t know I needed! This is a match made in hilarious heaven, as he mumbles and bumbles his own self-importance and self-inflicted superiority throughout the entire show. Sharp, witty, character driven, and the epitome of someone we have all met, this was one of my audience defining moments! Jemma Churchill (Alma’s Not Normal, GWED, Nativity, I should Be So Lucky) is Queen of the deadpan, irritated quip as Mrs. Richards, refusing to accept anything less than her high standards, yet refusing to take responsibility for her part in any miscommunication as the world around her crumples into chaos. She is agile in her anger, beautifully belligerent, and kind of like the eye of the storm, unnervingly hostile as everything twists and turns unpredictably around her. Greg Haiste (Quiz, 39 Steps, Comedy Of Errors) is excellent as the complaining and jobsworth Mr. Hutchinson. He portrays his continual dissatisfaction and disappointment with a wonderful blend of frustration, both vocally and physically, and bounces off of Danny Bayne as Basil with fabulous flair! Adam Elliott (The Mousetrap, 2:22 A Ghost Story, Baskerville) offers us the complete opposite. He is calm, controlled, above all the nonsense, and he operates with an air of acceptance at the crazy that surrounds him. His measured performance is a generous offering to allow Basil to seem even more frantic.

The entire cast pay honourable tribute to these iconic characters, with no short fall in sight. They know these characters inside out and have lovingly recreated them to perfection. It is uncanny and a remarkable achievement, yet they equally achieve their own fresh touches, making each character their own and so nothing ever feels like a carbon copy or a parody. These are very well balanced and finely tuned performances that give us everything we crave from the characters whilst maintaining their own interpretation. As they inhabit the stage, whimsically transformed over two levels into the acquired charm of Fawlty Towers, you feel like your TV screen has burst wide open, inviting you into a place so familiar and evoking such wonderful memories of time spent laughing with family and friends. There are brilliant moments all throughout the show. Whether it’s the multitude of different conversations all happening at the same time which misfire and lead to confusion, the language barrier between Basil and Manuel which resort him to communicating through drawings and signs, the infamous walks of Basil, Sybils grating laugh, or the debate about whether P’s are B’s and B’s are P’s, just about every comedic device is employed and delivered with a Fawlty Towers flourish! Some of the jokes and language that would no longer be acceptable have been carefully and purposefully fine-tuned, but other than that, this production stays true to its roots and for me, it felt like a welcomed hug.

There is something very alive about the pace, rhythm, and pulse of a show like Fawlty Towers, and you feel it with every fibre of your being. Whether that be the happy hormones flooding your body as you endlessly laugh at this wonderful production, or the unconscious mirroring of the casts adrenaline as they drench the stage with an electric energy, you are fully absorbed into the turbulent hotel as if you were a guest yourself. And through all the laughter, there is the tinge of empathy we feel for Basil who just wants life to stop passing him by, for it to cease being so difficult, and to just have the time and space to breath and enjoy the moment. These things are of course all elusive to him, and it doesn’t help that him and Sybil are no longer on the same path of contentment, where she has been able to accept her life with resignation, Basil cannot let go of the dream that something better has to be waiting just around the corner. These heartaches and disappoints of course fuel his crazy and his irritation of just about everything and everyone, but we all know how that feels to some degree right, and so we weirdly connect with this neurotic, wild, and wilful soul who just wants a better life. Fawlty Towers fans will not be disappointed, and new fans who have never seen the show will not feel excluded as it stands alone as a complete story, welcoming all guests as equally annoying customers! Fawlty Towers is the best worst hotel you will ever visit!