A grumpy Torquay hotel manager, his hen-pecking wife, a chaotic waiter and a dependable waitress who attempts to hold the whole place together - what’s not to love about Fawlty Towers? 
The original 1970s sitcom deservedly earned its place in the ranks of British classics. It has now been brought to the stage in an adaptation by the original Basil, John Cleese, which is directed by Caroline Jay Ranger.

Guided by the principle ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, the play is entirely faithful to the original TV show. The set of the famous establishment is instantly recognisable, as are trademarks such as Basil’s moustache and Sybil’s bouffant hairdo and flouncy blouse. 

The characters, too, bring back memories from decades ago. Danny Bayne delivers a perfect Basil - irascible, permanently on the shortest of fuses and liable to explode at any moment - and Mia Austen is a beautifully authoritarian and unreasonable Sybil. Helping (in the loosest sense) to ‘run’ the shambolic hotel are calm, dependable Polly (Joanne Clifton) and the permanently bewildered Manuel-from-Barcelona (Hemi Yeroham).

Fawlty Towers is something of a masterclass in comedy technique. There are elements of pure farce based on misunderstanding - Basil’s over-the-top obsequiousness, for example, to a guest he has mistakenly identified as a hotel inspector is a toe-curling joy to behold. His desperate attempts to hide a win on the horses from a disapproving Sybil are comedy gold, and his struggles to open a bottle of wine or to hang a moose’s head on the wall are pure slapstick. It’s impossible not to laugh out loud. The script is unfailingly sharp and witty, with healthy doses of chaos and calamity.

If you loved the TV series, then Fawlty Towers - The Play will not disappoint. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and amongst the audience there was a huge amount of love for this theatrical reproduction of a (relatively) modern classic. The comic timing is spot-on and the jokes come thick and fast. All the favourite moments are there - Basil’s repeated reminders ‘not to mention the War’, his scathing remarks about what one might expect to see from the window of a Torquay hotel and Manuel’s iconic ‘Qué?’, to name but a few.

It’s no surprise that the show enjoyed a sell-out run in London’s West End and is playing to packed houses on its current tour. This is a cosy dose of nostalgia that is sure to entertain.

Five stars

Reviewed by Rachel Smith at The Alexandra, Birmingham, on Tuesday 17 March. Fawlty Towers continues to show at the venue until Saturday 21 March.