Director John Cleese is set to bring Fawlty Towers to London’s West End, nearly 50 years after it became one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms.
The original series, which aired from 1975 to 1979, followed Basil Fawlty, an incompetent hotel manager played by Cleese, as he tries to save his hotel and his marriage.
The writer and creator used material from three episodes of the series: The Hotel Inspector, The German, and Communication Problems.
Cleese said it was a “thrill” to bring the show on stage for the first time.
He adapted the three episodes and wrote “one giant finale” that ties them all together.
Cleese said: “We have been involved in the casting process for some time and are constantly reminded of how rich acting talent there is in the UK, some of it very, very good and some just very good. have been classified.
“Finally, top-class comedic actors have come together.”
The strikingly similar West End cast includes Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil Fawlty, Anna-Jane Casey as his wife Sybil, Hemi Eloham as waiter Manuel, and Victoria Fox as maid Polly. is included.
Director Caroline Jay Ranger of “Only Fools and Horses the Musical” and “Monty Python Live” brings the characters to life on stage.
First released in the 70s, Fawlty Towers is set in a hotel in the seaside town of Torquay. Basil Forti was an irascible hotel owner who was often rude to his demanding guests.
Basil is constantly reprimanded by his wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, and has several comedic clashes with Manuel, a Spanish waiter played by Andrew Sachs.
The play depicts Basil trying to win over a suspected hotel guest while posing as a hotel inspector.
Fawlty Towers received numerous accolades, including winning the BAFTA Award for Best Situation Comedy twice.
In 2019, the show was named the best British sitcom of all time by Radio Times’ panel of television experts.
The sitcom is based on real-life hotel owner Donald Sinclair, and Cleese came up with the idea while staying at Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay.
The West End show will premiere at the Apollo Theater on May 4th and tickets for the show will go on sale on February 7th.
The original episode, “The Germans,” was removed from some broadcast platforms for a period of time due to its use of racial slurs in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests.
But it was reinstated with a warning for “offensive content and language.”
Cleese co-wrote the original series with his wife at the time, Connie Booth. She also starred as Polly in Fawlty Towers.