Fawlty Towers The Play At Winter Gardens Blackpool Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Cath

The classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers first appeared on our television screens 50 years ago and I used to love watching it with my family. Being one of the most famous British comedies ever made I was quite surprised to discover that there were only 12 episodes ever made – it certainly seemed like there was more! The popular television show now has a new lease of life as a stage show and we went to see Fawlty Towers The Play, at Blackpool Opera House last night. The new production has been adapted for stage by original star and writer John Cleese and combines three of his favourite episodes, The Hotel Inspectors, Communication Problems and The Germans. The story flows very well and is packed full of the classic humour, misunderstandings or farce of the original television show.

The large set was very impressive, it made full use of the stage and was instantly recognisable as Fawlty Towers. A backdrop of the hotel perched on the hill sat at the top left, while the main stage opened out into the familiar interior, complete with reception desk, dining area and the staircase leading up to the guest rooms bringing the hotel to life. The set made excellent use of the large stage and unusually for a stage show there was no need for set changes. It was certainly one of the best stage sets I have seen for a long time and instantly recognisable to anyone old enough to remember the television series.

The cast were simply excellent and incredibly true to the original characters. Mia Austen as Sybil Fawlty was absolutely spot on. Being old enough to remember the original sitcom, I genuinely couldn’t tell the difference at times. She not only looked the part but sounded the same too, and her trademark shout of “Baaassssiiilll!” was delivered perfectly to huge laughs from the audience.

Danny Bayne was brilliant playing Basil Fawlty, he really captured Basil’s constant stress, short temper and manic energy just as John Cleese did in the original television series. Hemi Yeroham, who played the Spanish waiter Manuel, provided a lot of the evening’s biggest laughs with plenty of slapstick comedy, language misunderstandings and total confusion that certainly went down well with the people around us.

As a fan of Fawlty Towers I was really pleased to see that the humour in the stage show stays very true to the original television series, and there were plenty of times when we were all laughing out loud. We especially loved the scenes where Basil was trying to conceal his winnings from Sybil and the moose’s head scenes. Even if you haven’t seen the original television series, the production still works brilliantly as a fast, funny and highly entertaining show that is bound to appeal to a wide audience.

We really enjoyed our visit to Fawlty Towers and if you are a fan of classic British comedy, or simply enjoy a good old-fashioned farce, then this is definitely a show worth seeing.

Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £30.95
For more information or to book tickets visit https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/events/fawlty-towers/#overview or call the box office on 0844 770 0593