Fawlty Towers: The Play

Fawlty Towers: The Play
Written by	John Cleese
Based on	Fawlty Towers TV series by John Cleese and Connie Booth
Date premiered	19 August 2016
Place premiered	Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy

Fawlty Towers: The Play is a comedy play by John Cleese based on his television sitcom of the same name that he co-wrote with Connie Booth.

The play adapted three episodes of the TV series, forming one storyline; "The Hotel Inspectors", "The Germans" and "Communication Problems". ^[1]

Production history

Australia (2016)

The play made its world premiere (as Fawlty Towers Live) at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney on August 19, 2016, before embarking on a tour of Australia. The planned tour of New Zealand was cancelled. ^[2] The production was directed by Caroline J. Ranger and designed by Liz Ascroft and featured a cast including Stephen Hall as Basil Fawlty, Blazey Best as Sybil Fawlty, Aimee Horne as Polly and Syd Brisbane as Manuel. ^[3]

West End (2024)

Stage of the West End production

The play made its UK premiere (as Fawlty Towers: The Play) at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End opening 4 May 2024. It was originally due to run until 28 September, however due to popular demand it was extended into 2025. The cast features Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil, Anna-Jane Casey as Sybil, Victoria Fox as Polly, Hemi Yeroham as Manuel and Paul Nicholas as the Major. ^{[4] [5]}

UK Tour (2025–2026)

The play will embark on a tour around the UK opening in September 2025 at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley and concluding at the New Theatre, Oxford on 18 July 2026. ^{[6] [7]}

Cast and characters

Character	Sydney	West End
	2016	2024
Basil	Stephen Hall	Adam Jackson-Smith
Sybil	Blazey Best	Anna-Jane Casey
Polly	Aimee Horne	Victoria Fox
Manuel	Syd Brisbane	Hemi Yeroham
Major Gowen	Paul Bertram	Paul Nicholas
Mrs Richards	Deborah Kennedy	Rachel Izen

References

1. "John Cleese's FAWLTY TOWERS to premiere on the West End stage". www.londonboxoffice.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
2. "Fawlty Towers – Live New Zealand Tour Cancelled | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
3. "Full Fawlty Towers Cast Announced | Stage Whispers". www.stagewhispers.com.au. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
4. "Fawlty Towers stage show heads to London's West End". BBC News. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
5. Wiegand, Chris (2024-02-02). "John Cleese brings Fawlty Towers stage show to the West End". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-02-02.
6. "Fawlty Towers to embark on UK tour". 2024-12-02. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
7. "Fawlty Towers in Oxford: Theatre tickets, show details, cast, and more". 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-01-11.