A stage adaptation of classic TV sitcom Fawlty Towers will premiere on London’s West End, almost 50 years after the first episode was recorded at the BBC.
John Cleese, who co-wrote and starred in the original sitcom, has written a two-hour play based on two episodes from the first series – The Hotel Inspector and The Germans – and the second series episode Communication Problems.
The production 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.” Cleese made reference to where the show was set, adding: “All the way from Torquay, via the old BBC Television Centre, to the West End.”
The original TV programme, 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 Torquay hotelier Basil Fawlty (Cleese) and his wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, as they tried to keep their 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 on stage, with Adam Jackson-Smith playing Basil and Anna-Jane Casey as Sybil.
The play will follow Basil as he attempts to ingratiate himself with guests he suspects are posing as hotel inspectors.
Fawlty Towers was first broadcast on BBC Two in September 1975 and was awarded many plaudits, including two Bafta awards for best situation comedy. In 2019, the show was named the greatest British sitcom of all time by a panel of television experts for the Radio Times magazine.
Tickets for the show will go on sale on Wednesday February 7 at 10am.
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