Fawlty Towers - The Play, UK Tour (2026) Review
Written by James for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Let’s get one slightly awkward admission out of the way before I begin: I have never watched a single episode of Fawlty Towers, the hit 1975 BBC sitcom. In some ways, this proved both a blessing and a curse as I took my seat in the stalls of Nottingham Theatre Royal, surrounded by what seemed to be many long-time fans. I was approaching John Cleese’s stage adaptation of this cult classic with completely fresh eyes.
Firstly, the set, designed by Liz Ascroft, felt wonderfully faithful to a 1970s seaside hotel in Torquay. Looking at the décor instantly transported me back to family parties hosted by my Great Aunt Violet in a hotel years ago. On the left-hand side sat the reception area, complete with a bell and telephone that, whenever possible, were resolutely ignored. To the right was the dining room, featuring round tables draped in white tablecloths and rear doors leading to an off-stage kitchen. A staircase also led up to a small bedroom, helping to create a convincing sense of a bustling hotel environment.
In adapting the sitcom for the stage, Cleese has stated that he combined elements and characters from three of his favourite episodes. Director Caroline Jay Ranger has assembled a superb cast who rise to the challenge of performing a demanding stage farce without reducing the original television characters to mere caricatures.
Fawlty Towers, owned and managed by Basil Fawlty (Danny Bayne) and his wife Sybil (Mia Austen), explores the frustrations of working in hospitality and dealing with increasingly absurd customer demands. The eccentric Mr Hutchinson (Greg Haist) steals many scenes with some of the most exasperating and bewildering requests imaginable. Rather than listening to directions, he insists Basil draw him a map to the post office, and he refuses to telephone for a taxi because of his aversion to using the phone. The tables quickly turn when Basil mistakenly believes Hutchinson is a hotel inspector and begins indulging his every whim.
This misunderstanding culminates in a delightfully chaotic dining-room sequence. Hutchinson initially orders an omelette, then changes to a cheese salad when informed there are no fresh vegetables. What follows sees him presented with multiple omelettes, pâté, lamb stew, and eventually the requested cheese salad, all accompanied by the growing frustration of the hotel staff, including Manuel (Hemi Yeroham) and Polly (Joanne Clifton).
Indeed, it is the farcical elements and physical comedy that allow the stage adaptation to truly shine and generate some of the evening’s biggest laughs. One standout moment sees Basil attempting to modernise the hotel lobby, only for a newly installed Canadian moose head to fall on him and knock him unconscious. Later, Manuel hides behind reception while the Major (Paul Nicholas) becomes convinced that the moose head is talking to him. When Manuel explains that he has been learning English from a book, the Major assumes the moose itself has acquired the ability to speak. He finds this astonishing; the audience finds it hilarious.
Towards the end of the production, the farce reaches a fever pitch when a fire breaks out in the kitchen. Amid the chaos and confusion, someone shouts, “Fire!” In a spectacular misunderstanding, the Major interprets this as an instruction rather than a warning and promptly fires his gun, shooting someone in the leg.
The only aspect preventing the play from fully succeeding in its attempt to revisit the 1975 sitcom for a modern audience is its approach to some of the comedy. While these moments certainly drew laughs from parts of the audience, I felt the production could have found stronger comic material than jokes about wives, references to “Japs”, and Basil’s imitation of Adolf Hitler in front of German guests.
Fawlty Towers - The Play embarks on a UK tour until 1 August 2026.
★★★★
