The first ever stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers is coming to a West End theatre, almost 50 years since the show was first recorded.
Adapted by John Cleese himself, now 84, the show will premiere at London’s Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue on Wednesday 15th May.
Tickets go on sale on Wednesday (7th February) and there are special group rates for those with ten or more people including an Accelerator Preview Rate of £40 (first come, first served) when tickets are booked and paid for by 31st March.
Written by Cleese, who co-wrote the original TV series with Connie Booth and starred as the inimitable Basil Fawlty, the two-hour play is based on three of the original 12 TV episodes, The Hotel Inspector and The Germans from series one and Communication Problems from series two.
He said: “What a thrill to be bringing Fawlty Towers to the West End for the first time - nearly 50 years since the show was first recorded, in December 1974.
“We’ve been involved in the casting process for some time, being constantly reminded of what a wealth of acting talent we have in Britain - sorting the very, very, very good from the merely very, very good.
“I’ve adapted three of my favourite episodes for the stage and written one huge finale, which will bring together the endings of all three episodes. So here we are, all the way from Torquay, via the old BBC Television Centre, to the West End! I do hope some of you will come to the Apollo to laugh together. And laugh. And laugh…”
Directed by Caroline Jay Ranger (Only Fools and Horses The Musical and Monty Python Live), John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers will bring many of the beloved sitcom characters to life on stage.
Following a tip off that hotel inspectors may be visiting and eager to impress, Basil (Adam Jackson-Smith) 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 (Rachel Izen), whose infuriating complaints prevent him from hiding a gambling win from his ever vigilant and bossy wife, Sybil (Anna-Jane Casey).
“I’ve adapted three of my favourite episodes for the stage and written one huge finale, which will bring together the endings of all three episodes.”
Together they run their hotel with a little help from the unflappable Polly (Victoria Fox), and very little help at all from Manuel (Hemi Yeroham), the trainee waiter from Barcelona who is the butt of Fawlty’s frustration.
About Fawlty Towers
First broadcast on BBC Two on 19th September 1975, the sitcom was based on a real-life hotel owner, Donald Sinclair. John Cleese came up with the idea for the character of Basil Fawlty when he stayed at Sinclair’s Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay and became fascinated with his incredibly rude behaviour.
The iconic TV show went on to win many awards and plaudits including two BAFTAS for Best Situation Comedy and in 2000 it was voted the best British programme of all time in a British Film Institute poll. Set in a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, just 12 half hour episodes of the iconic comedy were made.
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