Fawlty Towers - Milton Keynes Theatre

Fresh from a sold-out West End season, this laugh-out-loud production with its sharp wit, chaos, and calamity at every turn, makes this the comedy event of the year. The funniest show on TV is now the funniest show on stage. Fawlty Towers is in Milton Keynes this week and you don’t want to miss it.

For those who have never stayed at Fawlty Towers, this hotel is run by Basil and Sybil Fawlty, helped by Polly and Manuel.  Basil is henpecked and although he tries his best to be pleasant to both staff and his guests, he often is run ragged and loses his temper quite easily.  Sybil loves a chat and although calm, she expects Basil to do most of the work.  Polly is a housemaid but honestly, Basil and Sybil could not run the hotel without her.  She covers for Basil and smoothes things over with guests.  Manuel…well he is from Barcelona.

50 years since Fawlty Towers was first broadcast on BBC Two on 19 September 1975, comedy legend John Cleese, who originally co-wrote the “greatest British sitcom of all time” (Radio Times) with Connie Booth, has chosen three of his favourite original TV episodes - ‘The Hotel Inspector’ and ‘The Germans’ from series one and ‘Communication Problems’ from series two - and adapted them into a two-hour play, complete with a new finale.

Fawlty Towers – The Play is all your favourite bits live on stage.  Following a tip off that hotel inspectors may be visiting and eager to impress, Basil attempts to ingratiate himself with guests that he suspects are there to critique the establishment. The situation is further plagued by a party of Germans, the deaf and dotty guest-from-hell, Mrs Richards, whose infuriating complaints prevent him from hiding a gambling win from his ever vigilant and bossy wife, Sybil. Together they run their hotel with a little help from the unflappable Polly, and very little help at all from Manuel, the trainee waiter from Barcelona who is the butt of Fawlty’s frustration.

Danny Bayne is outstanding as Basil Fawlty.  Its always hard to imagine someone else other than John Cleese playing Basil, but Danny has pulled it off.  Every mannerism, the voice and even the genius comic timing is all there.  Danny had me in stitches laughing at sketches I know so well.  Sybil is played by Mia Austen.  Mia absolutely nails the voice of Sybil and her ‘I know’ catchphrase perfectly.  Her hair is flawless and she captures the role excellently.  A lasting tribute to Prunella Scales.

Polly is played by Joanne Clifton.  Joanne is such a talent and makes the perfect Polly.  She surprised us all when she spoke fluent Spanish to Manuel and I loved the scene with Polly, Basil and Mr Hutchinson where they were not looking at the person they are speaking to.  Goodness that must have taken some practice.  Absolutely brilliant.  Hemi Yeroham plays Manuel, the waiter we all love.  Poor Manuel is not appreciated but with his broken English, things often go wrong in translation.  He is funny and his upbeat manner really does add to the comedy. Hemi excels in the role and sometimes just a facial expression will do.

The whole cast are brilliant but I would like to say how much I enjoyed Paul Nicholas as The Major.  When he misplaces Basil’s winnings and then finds it in his inside jacket pocket.  Brilliant comic timing.  

The set feel very authentic and they even change the title of the hotel in the second half if you look closely, just like they did on those iconic 12 episodes.  I absolutely loved everything about this show and some things remain funny even decades later. The cast got a standing ovation from me.

John Cleese said: “I’m thrilled with the top-class group of comedy actors that we've assembled for the UK tour of Fawlty Towers - The Play which begins in September. September also marks exactly 50 years since the first ever TV episode was broadcast on the BBC. I never thought that all these years later the stage show would get the reception that it has. But here we are, still making theatres rock with laughter.”

Fawlty Towers is at Milton Keynes Theatre until 2 May as part of a new UK tour.