DAZZLE FAWLTY
John Cleese unveils the ‘very, very, very good’ cast of his sitcom adaption
DON’T be alarmed, it’s only a live audience laughing as Fawlty Towers heads to London’s West End.
The stage adaptation of the beloved sitcom will premiere nearly 50 years after the first episode was broadcast.
John Cleese has created a two-hour play that resurrects the misanthropic Torquay hotelier Basil Fawlty.
The production is based on three classic episodes: The Germans,
The Hotel Inspector and Communication Problems. The show will debut at London’s Apollo Theatre on May 15, nearly five decades after the first episode was filmed at the BBC Television Centre in December 1974.
“What a thrill to be bringing Fawlty Towers to the West End for the first time,” 84-year-old Cleese said.
“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.
“Finally, we assembled a top-class group of comedy actors who will bring the show to the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.
“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. All the way from Torquay, via the old BBC Television Centre, to the West End.”
The original TV show, written by Cleese and Connie Booth, ran on BBC Two for two series in 1975 and 1979.
It followed the unfortunate exploits of highly strung Basil and his wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, as they tried
to keep their chaotic hotel and marriage afloat. Director Caroline Jay Ranger, from Only Fools and Horses The Musical and Monty Python Live, will bring the characters to life, with Adam Jackson-smith playing Basil and Anna-jane Casey as Sybil.
Hemi Yeroham takes on the role of dim Spanish waiter Manuel, originally played by the late Andrew Sachs. Longsuffering maid Polly, played by Booth, is recreated by Victoria Fox.
The production will follow Basil as he attempts to ingratiate himself with guests he suspects are posing as hotel inspectors.
In 2019, Fawlty Towers was named the best British sitcom by a panel of TV experts for the Radio Times magazine.
Tickets for the show will go on sale on Wednesday, February
7, at 10am.
What a thrill to be bringing show to West End JOHN CLEESE WHO HAS WRITTEN THE STAGE PLAY