Sybil (Mia Austen) in Fawlty Towers – The Play [Hugo Glendinning]
FAWLTY TOWERS – THE PLAY
Apollo Theatre
☆☆☆☆
Remarkably, the iconic sitcom Fawlty Towers, created by John Cleese and Connie Booth, ran for just 12 half-hour episodes between 1975 and 1979.
Now Cleese has adapted three classic episodes into a joyously nostalgic stage play: The Hotel Inspector, The Germans, and Communication Problems.
The comedy ran at the Apollo in May 2024 and returns with some new cast members. Rather than reinventing the roles, the actors deliver impressive impersonations of the original TV cast.
The audience applauds each entrance of the beloved characters: Basil Fawlty (Danny Bayne), the uptight Torquay hotelier; his scathing wife, Sybil (Mia Austen); the hapless waiter Manuel (Hemi Yeroham); chambermaid Polly (Joanne Clifton); the senile Major (Paul Nicholas); and the guest from hell, Mrs Richards (Helen Lederer).
The caustic dynamic between Basil and Sybil remains central to the humour. The farce, slapstick and comic routines are impeccably timed and stylishly directed by Caroline Jay Ranger.
For those raised on this comic fodder, catchphrases such as Manuel’s “I know nothing” and Basil’s “Don’t mention the war!” still induce belly-laughs.
Liz Ascroft’s period costumes and split-level set – recreating the hotel reception, upstairs bedroom and dining room – are a delight.
Check in now for a gleeful trip down memory lane.
Until September 13
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