It was a wonderfully nostalgic trip down the memory lane of classic sitcom at the Regent Theatre this week. The iconic Fawlty Towers has made its way from a sell-out run in the West End to a UK tour that includes a stay in Torquay.
John Cleese has seamlessly welded together three of the most popular episodes from the two televised series – The Hotel Inspectors, Communication Problems and The Germans – to create ninety minutes of side-splitting theatre that is very true to the original format.
From the first strains of the theme tune and the sound of Sybil (Mia Austen) and her cackling laugh the audience is able to settle back and thoroughly enjoy the performance as they are swept back to the time when families sat around the tv set to enjoy an evening’s entertainment.
Basil (Danny Bayne) and his wife are bickering from the start and the incompetent hotelier is clearly out of his depth at attempting to run a seaside hotel. With rumours that hotel inspectors are in town, Basil fawns on those he believes to be writing for a tourist guide with special attention given to the highly irritating Mr Hutchinson (Greg Haiste) and the man who knows a thing or two about wine Mr Walt (Adam Elliott) but knows that he is probably fighting a losing battle for a five-star rating when Spanish waiter Manuel (Hemi Yeroham) causes chaos in the dining room.
Deaf as a post guest Mrs Richards (Jemma Churchill) adds fuel to the fire of mayhem particularly when she claims that an amount of money has been stolen from her room that purportedly has a sea view but no view of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
As Basil attempts to hide his winnings from a bet from his disapproving wife, he enlists the unlikely help of Manuel, hotel worker Polly (Joanne Clifton) and The Major (Paul Nicholas) to provide an alibi for the cash that is changing hands at an alarming rate. Will Mr Fawlty manage to come out on top for once in his life.
Even if he does we all know that matters will not end well when the matriarch of the establishment has to be away for the morning for treatment of an ingrowing toenail. Despite Basil’s protestations that he can cope, the impending mandatory fire drill and arrival of a party of Germans combine to highlight that Basil has chosen the wrong profession. Hampered by concussion after being hit on the head by a falling ornament, the hotel owner succeeds in destroying Anglo-German relations and running a fire drill that would fail any Health and Safety Inspector.
With regular characters such as Miss Tibbs (Emily Winter) and Miss Gatsby (Dawn Buckland) and excellent support from cast members Neil Stewart and Josie Brightwell, this is a beautifully presented piece of comedy theatre. Even Manuel’s pet “hamster” gets in on the action.
Director Caroline Jay Ranger has done a magnificent job with Cleese’s adaptation. Her work alongside that of Set and Costume designer allows the audience member to believe that they are at a live recording back in the 1970s. The mannerisms and voices of the original characters are perfectly created by the cast and the accuracy of the whole show should be commended.
Inevitably this production will attract audiences of a certain age for whom the original two series were a must see and for them it was a lovely piece of nostalgia. But it was also good to see that there was a very good proportion at the opening night who were not even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes back in the show’s heyday. Even better was the sound to be heard from most lips – including the younger element – was “I enjoyed that.”
While I would hesitate to stay in the Fawlty Towers hotel I could very happily spend seven nights immersed in this play. A wonderful experience and a must-see start to the Spring Season at the Regent.
The show has a running time of approximately 1 hour 55 minutes and continues its run until February 28th. For ticket information contact atgtickets.com/stoke
