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Fawlty Towers -The Play Wolverhampton Grand Theatre ***** Few British sitcoms have withstood the test of time as much as John Cleese and Connie Boothe’s classic 1970’s TV masterpiece, Fawlty Towers, Inspired by a trip Cleese once took to a hotel whose manager was not the most ‘customer friendly’, the character driven comedy spanning over just two series was an instant success and remains high on people’s all time favourites to this day. The key, as with most good TV comedy, lay in the writing and it’s delivery. Characters were superbly observed and played to perfection by its central figures and a succession of quirky and well drawn guests and employees. The put upon Spanish Waiter. The drunk chef. The confused military major. The doddery twin sisters. All under the watchful eye of hotel owners, Basil and Sybil Fawlty. The challenge in adapting 12 episodes into a stage play is deciding what to keep and what to leave out. Cleese’s clever adaptation combines several of the best known scenes and iconic moments into one extended ‘episode’ onstage. Those memorable moments are brought to life once more… the hard of hearing lady who isn’t happy with a view of Torquay . . . in Torquay. The talking moose. The unfortunate Germans who catch Basil on a very bad day. The dreaded hotel inspector. The chaotic fire alarm procedure. It's all there, and backed up with lines taken verbatim from the TV version to add to the authenticity and audience recollection.
Times, of course, have changed. Political correctness was less of a thing in the late 1970’s. It’s impossible to imagine the German visitors storyline being written today but Cleese doesn’t shy away from it in his adaptation or even dilute it in any way. To do so would be to misrepresent the story and a lesser, edited version would simply not have the same comic resonance. The essence of the main characters are beautifully captured throughout the cast. Danny Bayne gets Basil’s physicality and posturing to a tee and is pretty close vocally too. The caustic come backs and high octane snaps are nicely observed … as is that classic ‘funny walk’. Sybil , the wife that gives as good as she gets, is given strong status by Mia Austen, again mixing the bustling physicality of the woman with the vocal delivery we all affectionately recall. Strong performances too from Joanne Clifton as Polly, Hemi Yerohan as Manuel and Jemma Churchill as Miss Richards together with a hard working and versatile supporting cast. At this performance, understudies Neil Stewart, Ben Jacobson and Raymond Rose stepped up with credit to play The Major, Mr Walt and Mr Firkins/Mr Sharp/Mr Kerr respectively Set Designer Liz Ashcroft gives an instantly recognisable recreation of the hotel set we all recall. The reception area, the dining room, the staircase and an upstairs bedroom all perfectly assembled and set out. At it’s heart, this is classic farce interlaced with delicious writing. Pace is speedy and always driven through. People quickly come and go . . . things fall down . . . misunderstandings are rife . . . there’s even a custard pie or two. A long awaited and wholly engaging adaptation of one of the finest TV comedies ever written A real joy. Directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, room bookings are being taken to 21-02-26. Tom Roberts 10-02-26 |
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