The classic comedy translates well to the stage in Caroline Jay Ranger’s delightfully farcical production.
It is always a risk to take a beloved comedy and transform it for the stage but thanks to the combination of John Cleese’s nicely paced adaptation that retains all of the classic lines fans will want to hear combined with Caroline Jay Ranger’s delightfully energetic production Fawlty Towers works well on stage.
Taking three episodes of the twelve that were made “Hotel Inspectors”, “The Germans” and “Communication Problems”, Fawlty Towers allows us to enter the chaotic world Basil Fawlty and his wife Sybil as they attempt to deal with demanding guests and deal with a range of ridiculous problems.
The whole play is delightfully farcical, thanks to the wonderful energy of the cast but also thanks to the way in which each of the stories move seamlessly from one to the other – even if the build up to the end feels slightly abrupt.
Through his stage adaptation of the scripts that he co-wrote with his then wife Connie Booth, John Cleese hasn’t tinkered too much with the story or the jokes so there is plenty of nostalgia here to be enjoyed, with lines such as ‘the Germans are coming’, Manuel’s ‘I know nothing’ and of course ‘don’t mention the war’ proving to delight the audience the most. However, there is on occasion the feeling that trying to condense three scripts into one show means that the jokes don’t get enough time to breathe for the audience to really enjoy them before moving onto the next joke.
This being said, Caroline Jay Ranger’s production ensures that the pacing is brisk and every joke lands perfectly. Meanwhile, Liz Ascroft’s set and costume design enhances the feeling of nostalgia with great attention paid to detail in every respect. There is definitely no mistaking the fact the audience is swept back to the 1970’s here.
But of course the key to making the show work really well lies at the performances of the cast – and what a cast it is. Adam Jackson-Smith truly shines as Basil, with his mannerisms and movements of this continually frustrated and emotionally on the edge hotel manager. The way in which he beautifully delivers sarcastic quips, manically mimes a horse’s name and delivers the physical comedy moments certainly does John Cleese proud.
But he is of course well matched with the rest of the cast. Anna-Jane Casey as Sybil is pitch perfect from the way in which she drawls ‘I know’ all the way through to the way in which she attempts to keep Basil in line is delightfully portrayed. It would have been lovely to have a few additional moments focusing on their fraught marriage. Victoria Fox is wonderfully sharp as Polly, with Hemi Yeroham offering a sweet and endearing performance as Manuel.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Rachel Izen’s performances as Mrs Richards, who refuses to switch on her hearing aid as it runs down the batteries- leading to some of the best moments in the show. The character is rude and abrupt but you can tell how much Izen is relishing the role. All of the cast overall throw themselves into the chaos that unfolds wonderfully well.
While Fawlty Towers on stage doesn’t give anything new, what it does do is allow us the audience to do is revel in nostalgia and enjoy incredibly detailed performances that offers a wonderful two hour experience of laughter and joy.
By Emma Clarendon
Fawlty Towers: The Play continues to play at the Apollo Theatre. To book tickets visit: Love Theatre.com, London Theatre Direct or London Box Office.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐