Faulty Towers the Dining Experience

A friend of mine recently asked me – “Do you need to have watched the original series Fawlty Towers before you see Faulty Towers the Dining Experience?” The answer is a resounding no. It is just good, old fashioned crazy fun played to the hilt!

The production is based on some of the 12 iconic episodes made in the 1970s and features the central characters of Basil Faulty, his wife Sybil and their Spanish waiter, Manuel.

In the series, the Fawltys run their hotel Fawlty Towers with hardly any help at all from Manuel. In this production they run their restaurant with the audience as their guests.

Mayhem ensues with everything going wrong, the chef being locked in the freezer, Manuel bringing a pet rat to work, Basil trying to redecorate, a fire drill, strange items being found in the food and many more.

This show is playing all over the world and so there are many Basils, Sybils and Manuels. We were lucky enough to see Cameron Hurry as Basil, Gemma Galley as Sybil and the hysterical Adrian Espulso as Manuel.

The show begins in the foyer with the three hosts seating the guests in their own inimitable way.

There is barely a moment in the evening when the laughter subsides (except when we are tucking into our 3-course meal which was delicious)

The evening is pure slapstick as Manuel rolls on a plate, instead of putting a roll on a plate, Basil tries to hang a fish as a piece of artwork and ends up with it wedged in an uncomfortable position, chairs go missing when diners leave to visit the toilets, Sybil invites us to a singalong featuring her classically trained opera voice and local references aplenty!

I was impressed with the freshness of the performance, particularly after a matinee in the afternoon and the riotous pace at which the show runs.

For the aficionados there are the beloved references to the Germans and of course the famous ‘silly walks’.

Faulty Towers the Dining Experience is an evening of madcap fun that will leave you with your sides aching from laughing and a damn good meal to boot as you relive those golden moments from the 70s, up close and personal!

Highly recommended!!!

Barry Hill OAM

To check out or round-up of Adelaide Fringe reviews, click here.