Fawlty Towers Live - heading to NZ
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With a cast hand-picked by Creator and Co-Writer, John Cleese, who was in Sydney to oversee rehearsals and in the weeks leading up to opening night, Fawlty Towers – Live is based on the hilarious and much loved BBC TV series written by Cleese and Connie Booth.
U.K’s The Sun said the show was “a two hour romp of high-farce fun and frolics”, adding that it was “unforgettable & endlessly hilarious.” The AU Review called it “a show fans can’t afford to miss” and Broadway World said it was “a fabulous trip down memory lane”.
Critics have praised the performances of the company, with The Guardian (Australia) saying “The cast are exemplary” and The Music (Australia) agreeing that the performances from this all-Australian cast are “perfect.”
Manic, snobbish, condescending, sycophantic and rude, Basil Fawlty is without doubt one of the funniest, most iconic and most memorable British comedy characters ever written and reviews have been united in plaudits for Stephen Hall’s performance with both The Sun (UK) and the AU Review describing Hall’s “Basil” as “brilliant”
The full company of Fawlty Towers – Live are (in alphabetical order): Ana Maria Belo (Miss Tibbs/Ensemble), Paul Bertram (The Major), Blazey Best (Sybil), Syd Brisbane (Manuel), Paul Denny (Mr Hutchison/ Ensemble), Stephen Hall (Basil), Aimee Horne (Polly), Andrew Johnston (Mr Walt, German Guest, Ensemble), Sarah Jane Kelly (Onstage Swing), Deborah Kennedy (Mrs Richards), Anna Lee (Miss Gatsby, Nurse, Ensemble), John Shearman (Taxi Driver, Inspector, Ensemble), Emily Thomas (German Guest, Ensemble), John Voce (Mr. Thurston, Dr Finn, German Guest, Ensemble), David John Watton (Mr Firkins, Mr Kerr, Mr Sharp, Ensemble).
Fawlty Towers – Live will play seasons in Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane before heading to New Zealand. Adapted by John Cleese himself and utilising some of his own personal all time favourite moments, Cleese brings his beloved characters to life on stage in an unmissable evening of hilarity, which Sydney’s Daily Telegraph declared, “a triumph” and had the AU Review cautioning “you will laugh until it hurts.”
Basil is the proprietor and manager of a Torquay hotel, Fawlty Towers. Following a tipoff that hotel inspectors may be visiting and eager to impress, Basil attempts to ingratiate himself with guests that he suspects are there to critique the establishment.
The situation is further plagued by a party of Germans, the deaf and dotty guest-from- hell, Mrs Richards, whose infuriating complaints prevent him from hiding a gambling win from the ever-vigilant Sybil – his wife and “nest-of- vipers”. Together they run their hotel with a little help from the unflappable Polly, and very little help at all from Manuel, the trainee waiter from Barcelona who is the butt of Fawlty’s frustration.Fawlty Towers, one of the most beloved British TV series of all time, is set in a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay in the UK. Run by the endlessly rude, tense and put-upon Basil Fawlty and his bossy wife Sybil, their dealings with a string of demanding and eccentric guests are the source of a wealth of comic and farcical situations.
This first official stage adaptation, which Limelight Magazine (Australia) called “a rollicking live farce” and Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, “faultless fun”, Fawlty Towers – Live will be playing strictly limited seasons in NZ.
Fawlty Towers – Live is presented by Michael Coppel and Philip McIntyre in association with Louise Withers.
FAWLTY TOWERS - LIVE
New Zealand World Premiere Tour 2017
BRUCE MASON CENTRE – AUCKLAND
Friday, February 3 until Saturday, February 18: Bruce Mason Theatre, Auckland - Tickets via Ticketmaster
Tuesday, February 21 until Saturday, March 4: Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch - Tickets via Ticketek
Tuesday, March 7 until Sunday, March 19: St James theatre, Wellington - Tickets via Ticketek