John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers – The Play ★★★★ Apollo Theatre | Until Mar 1, 2025


Take a delightful stroll down nostalgia lane! This theatrical version of the iconic Fawlty Towers television series recalls some of the sitcom's very best moments and beautifully brings back to life the irascible Basil, his over-coiffed wife Sybil and the hotel's hapless waiter Manuel. John Cleese has woven together three episodes from the previous programme, “Hotel Inspectors,” “The Germans” and “Communication Problems,” to create a comic collage that should satisfy both diehard fans of the original show and newbies to the Fawltys' demented domain. Cleese has not attempted to update the show. It is still very much a product of the '70s, and some of the humour interestingly tests the boundaries of today's taboos. Taking on the formidable task of following Cleese in the part of Basil Fawlty, Adam Jackson-Smith simply surpasses all expectations. His physical comedy is awesome and his re-creation of the familiar role is nothing short of a triumph. We also loved Rachel Izen as the deaf and demanding grande dame, Mrs. Richards, and both Paul Nicholas' Major and Hemi Yeroham's Manuel were outstanding. Liz Ascroft’s set design for the Torquay hostellerie perfectly captures the atmosphere of the original and nicely situates us in the era. Full marks also to Director Caroline Jay Ranger. She ensures that this pitch-perfect pastiche of a national television treasure receives an absolutely faultless production.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Hugo Glendinning

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