It is not often that, having gone out to a restaurant for a meal, you are insulted by the manager, witness him being abused by his wife and are inappropriately touched by the waiter and yet you leave the establishment saying, ‘We should eat there again.’ But then this is not just any meal, this is Faulty Towers, The Dining Experience.
The globetrotting tribute to the BBC’s best-loved sitcom, Fawlty Towers, returns to Brighton in August with dates that form part of three-month UK tour, itself part of a world tour covering 20 countries, a debut at Sydney Opera House, the Edinburgh Fringe and an ongoing West End residency. Internationally acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, the show won five-star reviews at this year’s Brighton Fringe.
At performances around the world, the show’s basic format stays the same – but with only a third of the show scripted, anything can happen as guests become diners in the ‘Fawlty Towers’ restaurant, to be waited upon by Basil, Sybil and Manuel. This is two hours of fully immersive, highly improvised and site-specific comedy theatre where shambolic service and a ’70s-style 3-course meal are applauded. Do expect “an authentic Faulty Towers experience, which guests will remember for all the right reasons” (Whatsonstage.com) – but don’t expect herds of wildebeest and certainly don’t mention the war!
Faulty Towers, The Dining Experience, produced and presented by Interactive Theatre International, was born in Brisbane in 1997 and made its international debut in 2008 at the Edinburgh Fringe. It first appeared in Brighton in 2010. Last year it opened a residency in London’s West End, where it continues throughout 2013. The producers work tirelessly to make sure that each of the different worldwide productions features the very best look and sound-a-likes with the cast at Thistle Brighton in August featuring Corin Stuart as Basil, Imogen Miller Porter as Sybil, and Anthony Sottile as Manuel.
Artistic director and company co-founder, Alison Pollard-Mansergh says, ‘Faulty is spelled that way because when I started this show in 1997, John Cleese, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs were still young enough to have performed the roles. I didn’t want people to think they were getting the original, so I spelled it differently. It has nothing to do with being official or unofficial. Happily, the BBC and Mr Cleese are well aware of what we are doing.’
Faulty Towers, The Dining Experience opened a London West End residency in October 2012, selling out immediately and winning five star reviews. By November it had become top of Time Out London’s Top 10 Best Selling West End Theatre Shows and was featured in several Editor’s Picks for 2012. The residency continues throughout 2013, with seven shows a week, every week of the year.
Faulty Towers, The Dining Experience is an affectionate homage to Fawlty Towers the TV series written by John Cleese and Connie Booth and although their original TV scripts are not used in Faulty Towers The Dining Experience, the overall effect forms a superb tribute. The show is now so successful it has eight teams of cast who continue to tour the world non-stop with cast and support staff based in both London and Brisbane.
You can experience the experience at the Thistle Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton BN1 2GS from 1st -11th August 2013 (daily ex Monday) with 10 evening performances, at 7.30pm for 8pm show start and four lunch performances Sat & Sun, at 12.30pm for 1pm start. All tickets include a 3-course meal and a 2-hour interactive show and are priced at £52.00 for the dinner performances on Friday & Saturday, £48.50 for the dinner performances Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday and £46.50 for the lunch performances Saturday & Sunday. For bookings and more information call 01273 763244 or e-mail cherril.starmer@thistle.co.uk