‘Expect mayhem with a moose head and a rogue rat’
(Image: Hugo Glendinning)
I was delighted to take a trip down memory lane to my early teens at Hull New Theatre last night. Not that all recollections of that era are sweetness and light, you understand, but the 13-year-old me was certainly tickled by Fawlty Towers when it first graced our screens (and we had a colour telly by then on which to fully appreciate it).
Only 12 episodes of the comedy, co-written by and starring John Cleese and his first wife Connie Booth, were ever made but they have enjoyed many re-runs. I have continued to watch and to laugh and to anticipate the many funny and farcical moments, with relish, over the years.
I was curious to see how a rendering of this comedy classic – adapted thus by Cleese – would work on stage. Could the strongly embedded-in-the-conscience characters of Basil and Sybil Fawlty, along with Polly and Manuel et al, be successfully portrayed live?
The set was a super recreation of the Fawlty Towers reception and dining room, where much of the TV action takes place, along with an upstairs guest room. The bar/lounge and kitchen were left to the audience’s imagination.
Of course the Fawlty Towers sign featured and, true to the original series, there was a rearrangement of the letters in time for Act Two. It was not the more publication-friendly Watery Fowls that we saw up there; fans of the show who have yet to see the production will guess which name we DID see, I’m sure.
READ MORE: Strictly champion Joanne Clifton starring in Fawlty Towers show and for once she’s not dancing
While the creators of the play have said they were not looking to cast impersonators of the originals, Danny Bayne was a brilliant Cleese-esque Basil and Mia Austen a suitably waspish Sybil – they really looked and acted the parts. Then there was Joanne Clifton playing Polly Sherman – the actor and dancer previously spoke about how hard she had worked to study Booth’s Polly – and she nailed it, in my opinion.
Paul Nicholas was the delightfully bumbling and forgetful Major and Hemi Yeroham the lovably incompetent Manuel. The 18-strong cast, playing roles including the Misses Tibbs and Gatsby, the deaf and cantankerous Mrs Richards and three German guests, all help bring to life some of the sitcom’s favourite moments, with the essence of three episodes combined into the two acts.
Expect mayhem with a moose head and a rogue rat, wine that won’t pour, mistaken identities and so much more, packed into cleverly choreographed comedy scenes where calamity and chaos reign. Director of Fawlty Towers – The Play, Caroline Jay Ranger, has talked about the huge creative effort that has gone into this “seamless piece of work”.
She said: “Through all of this detailed work, we aim to pay homage to the award-winning television sitcom of the day whilst delivering a real tonic of laughter; we all need that.” Hear-hear to that, Caroline.
Fawlty Towers – The Play is running at Hull New Theatre until Saturday, May 16.