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Fiona Mountford's rating
Basil serves up laughter in Faulty Towers
By
Fiona Mountford
14 Aug 2008
If watching repeats of the best ever British comedy series no longer suffices, why not try dining chez Fawlty? This is the delightfully quirky Fringe experience offered by Australian trio Interactive Theatre who, under Basil's malign guidance, turn a three-course lunch at an elegant restaurant in Drummond Street into a cross between school dinners and national service.
The actors look the spitting images of John Cleese, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs (Polly is on her day off). Alison Pollard-Mansergh has Sybil's ear-piercing screech and it's particularly amusing to hear her bow to today's foodie-fads and ask customers if they are lactose-intolerant.
Nigel Bell captures Basil's poppingeyed apoplexy, although his response to my request for a Waldorf salad was to tell me to take my elbows off the table.
Between courses are accounts of crisis in the kitchen and Manuel-inspired mayhem but the logistics of feeding 70-odd people make this experience feel a little diluted and overlong.
Until 25 August. 0131 556 6040.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (2)
I saw this show with my husband and two friends. I was very dissapointed with the performance on the whole, the actors were not portraying the characters as well as one would expeect (maybe this was down to them being Australian actors) you could still unfortunately detect an Australian twang. In particular the actor playing Basil was terrible and did not seem to be able to improvise well at all. A couple of years ago our friends had seen an English company who apparently mesmerised the audience with 3 hours of brilliant comedy and a standing ovation proceeded, we all thought that this was probably going to be them. It is unfortunate that on this occasion we ended up with this Australian mess. Ultimately the show was a disaster and Sybil was also dissapointing. The elbows on the table routine was the only pun from Basil, I agree with the other comments made. If we ever get the chance to see a Fawlty Towers event again it will be definitely with the English company of actors, I think they are called Laughterlines or Laughlines.
L. Green - Leeds
- Louise Green, Leeds, 13/11/2008 08:22
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There were some good things about this show. The actor playing Manuel had the character down pat, and had excellent rapport with the audience. But the actor playing "Basil" was a disappointment, despite his "poppingeyed apoplexy." There is more to the character of Basil Fawlty than a stern disappoval of his guest's table manners, but sadly this is all we got. When I told "Basil" that my partner and I were both doctors (a reference to "The Psychiatrist") I expected him to drop the disapproval, and melt into fawning obsequrity, just like the real Basil did. But that did not happen; instead we just got more disapproval. In the same way, when my partner shouted "waiter" in a cockney accent right to his face (a reference to "A Touch of Class") we expected some reaction, but no, he just went into the"elbows off the table" routine.
- Adrian, Edinburgh, 13/11/2008 07:22
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