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Review: Fawlty Towers The Play Palace Theatre Manchester
Funny and engaging
Review
I managed to snag a couple of cheap tickets via Tickets and landed in the Palace Theatre for the touring production of Fawlty Towers The Play. The evening is an affectionate, often uproarious stage distillation of John Cleese’s original sitcom. The production stitches together the best bits from three episodes into a tight two-hour farce, and the result mostly sings.
Cast & performances
The casting is the engine that powers this show. Danny Bayne’s Basil is all twitchy indignation and frantic physicality he clearly studies Cleese’s physical comedy and makes it his own. Mia Austen’s Sybil is a triumph that braying, authoritative laugh lands exactly as it should and gets its own round of applause from the audience. Hemi Yeroham’s Manuel felt utterly authentic — the bewilderment, the timing, the tiny gestures — and Paul Nicholas as the Major is a wonderfully measured comic presence pompous, slightly bemused and very funny.
The material & staging
Many of the original beats and set pieces are lovingly reproduced. The “Don’t mention the war!” sketch with the German guests is present and absolutely hits the mark, the silly walk, the awkwardness, Basil’s overreaching attempts at diplomacy are staged with comic precision and land big laughs. For someone who wasn’t an avid fan, the show still worked. Some scenes were genuinely new to me, but the writing and performances are clear enough that newcomers can follow along and still laugh.
Highlights
- Manuel (Hemi Yeroham) wholly convincing and full of physical nuance.
- The Major (Paul Nicholas) perfectly cast; a warm and comic counterpoint to Basil’s fury.
- Sybil’s laugh (Mia Austen) genuinely showy and crowd-pleasing; one of those small theatrical delights that keeps getting applause.
- Familiar sketches (The Germans / Don’t mention the war) faithfully and effectively staged; the audience loved them.
Minor gripes
- The production leans heavily on nostalgia, so the energy sometimes reads more like a loving impersonation than a full reinvention.
- Some jokes are openly rooted in the 1970s and may not land for everyone.
Overall impression
This touring production is a warm, well-performed homage that will thrill long time fans and give casual viewers a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre. If you can pick up a cheap last minute ticket, it’s an easy yes and you’ll get proper laughs for your money.
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