77 posts
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Post by avfan on May 15, 2024 21:09:00 GMT
Hands down the worst thing I’ve seen this year out of 24 shows. The cast are great with what they’re given, which is a pedestrian script and poor direction. The pacing is terrible and some of the jokes fall flat because of it. I knew it was essentially 3 episodes on stage but that is it. Little or nothing has been done to turn it into a theatrical vehicle. ⭐️ from me.
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7,050 posts
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Post by Jon on May 16, 2024 11:55:46 GMT
The reviews are okay and a lot of pull quotes they can use.
I think if sales remain strong, they'll extend.
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Post by mrekko on May 17, 2024 9:06:06 GMT
They might literally have 1 rush ticket available for this. I did the fastest finger possible at 10am for a single ticket and it said that all tickets were being held.
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1,217 posts
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Post by nash16 on May 17, 2024 9:10:22 GMT
They might literally have 1 rush ticket available for this. I did the fastest finger possible at 10am for a single ticket and it said that all tickets were being held. Don’t forget: Today Tix Rush prioritises pairs of seats being sold, over singles. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 17, 2024 9:17:22 GMT
Poll added
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2024 14:09:28 GMT
They interviewed Adam Jackson-Smith on BBC Breakfast yesterday before 9AM and he was in his dressing room and he said they had a matinee show. So I wonder if he had slept/stays overnight in his dressing room. It would be very early to get to the theatre just to do the interview which you'd think could have been done from where he is staying/lives?
There have been stories of some performers staying in their dressing rooms over night at all sorts of venues. Some theatres do have flats/bedsits in their complex. This would have to be arranged as for Fire Safety it would need to be known who is in the building.
I can see this extending and then touring next year.
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Post by Jon on May 17, 2024 14:16:32 GMT
They interviewed Adam Jackson-Smith on BBC Breakfast yesterday before 9AM and he was in his dressing room and he said they had a matinee show. So I wonder if he had slept/stays overnight in his dressing room. It would be very early to get to the theatre just to do the interview which you'd think could have been done from where he is staying/lives? There have been stories of some performers staying in their dressing rooms over night at all sorts of venues. Some theatres do have flats/bedsits in their complex. This would have to be arranged as for Fire Safety it would need to be known who is in the building. I can see this extending and then touring next year. I imagine he was asked to go to the theatre for the interview with transport arrangement by the producers. You wouldn't be able to sleep in the theatre overnight for security reasons. |
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Post by max on May 17, 2024 15:38:13 GMT
Hands down the worst thing I’ve seen this year out of 24 shows. The cast are great with what they’re given, which is a pedestrian script and poor direction. The pacing is terrible and some of the jokes fall flat because of it. I knew it was essentially 3 episodes on stage but that is it. Little or nothing has been done to turn it into a theatrical vehicle. ⭐️ from me. When I first heard about it, I thought Cleese had crafted 3 episodes to interleave and have some sort of rising arc across the piece - tricky and could mess with people's memories of the discrete episodes, but a more exciting idea, and a reason for the curious to see if it worked. It would up the manic energy for Basil, spinning even more plates than in the TV series - and audiences love to see actors sweat ('Operation Mincemeat' etc). One review said that one actor/plot overlaps from episode 2 to 3, but that's it. Seeing three TV episodes largely end-to-end doesn't hold much interest for me. |
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Post by talkingheads on May 17, 2024 18:49:20 GMT
It's a shame that Hotel Inspectors was chosen over A Touch of Class because I think the final scene with Basil shouting 'BASTARD' at Lord Melbury would be hilarious on stage. A gin and orange, a lemon squash and a scotch and water PLEASE". |
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Post by david on May 17, 2024 22:08:11 GMT
Well, I absolutely loved this tonight. Bagging a £25 seat in the stalls (C5), this one was worth every penny. I’m definitely happier that I held out to get such a great seat for a bargain price, considering what the seats were going for when they first went on sale. Being so close wasn’t an issue when there were brief moments of action on the second level of the set. I certainly didn’t get any neck ache from looking up.
Combing the 3 tv episodes into one plot worked well for me and I’ll admit you are getting nothing new with the writing, but everybody in the audience tonight like me seemed to have a great night at the Apollo watching a brilliant cast bringing these iconic episodes to the stage for 2hrs. These episodes might be 50 years old, but the writing of Cleese and Booth still hits the mark and it’s easy to see why FT still rates highly in the rankings of UK comedy shows.
Pacing wise, I can’t really complain here. It flowed well, and all the jokes landed and the actors portraying these iconic characters got the mannerisms spot on from the tv cast. From talking to folk both in the interval and after the show, nobody had any complaints from seeing the show and I was certainly on my feet applauding this cast at the end.
Overall, a great way to end my birthday. Rating 4⭐️
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7,050 posts
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Post by Jon on May 17, 2024 22:11:16 GMT
Have to admit, I am looking forward to seeing this next week, it's not going to be life changing but sometimes all you need is a good laugh.
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Post by mrekko on May 18, 2024 17:39:24 GMT
Second time lucky with Rush at todays matinee (and a solid seat at the Stalls for £25 which felt like a steal).
I quite enjoyed the play, it’s a good production and performances. Adam Jackson-Smith is charismatic and does a great job. I’ve watched the tv show a few years ago and this brought back the memories as it’s more or less lifted verbatim.
As others have said, it’s mostly for the nostalgia; it wouldn’t have much of an appeal as a standalone show and/or to someone who hasn’t seen the tv series.
A pleasant and enjoyable experience and 3.5 starts overall, which I’ve rounded up to 4 cos I’m feeling generous.
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1,470 posts
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Post by mkb on May 19, 2024 13:42:44 GMT
That was a first. I managed to buy a large wine just before the start of act two -- the queues for both the gents and the bar being lengthy -- and still had a third of it left when Fawlty Towers the Play came to an abrupt end, such is the shortness of the second "half".
I would have felt short-changed, but at £30 each for prime seats -- one dead centre of Stalls row J, one on the front row centre of the Dress Circle -- for a West End house on a Saturday night, this was an absolute bargain. (We swapped at the interval, so I enjoyed both perspectives.)
There's no denying the comforting hug of nostalgia evoked here, and that's principally why the evening is so enjoyable, but would it have killed Cleese to tack on thirty minutes of original material to make the second act a decent length?
The set is magnificent and exactly as you would expect, and the mock-up of the hotel reception at the rear of the Stalls bar is an inspired photo-op that was turning ageing punters into delighted little kids.
Adam Jackson-Smith shines as Basil and carries the show. While Anna-Jane Casey has Sybil's raucous laugh down to a tee, the voice and characterisation are less cruel (and therefore less funny) than Prunella Scales'.
Casey's Sybil is more sympathetic, and I'm not sure I wanted that. After all, Sybil is an object lesson to doting husbands in childless marriages: fail to stand up to the incessant demands and hen-pecking, turn a blind eye to all the wife's self-indulgence and contempt, then, over time, any Englishman can become the wreck that is Basil Fawlty, that is if they haven't strangled her first.
The supporting cast are largely good, but Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby are dreadfully miscast. Young actresses playing old, Julie Waters style, complete with overly wobbly legs, did not work for me. There must surely be age-appropriate actresses out there who might have appreciated the work?
The Major's casual use of outdated and racist words to describe Indians is excised despite being key to revealing more about Basil, because even he, with his Little Englander, conservative mentality, is embarrassed by it. What is interesting is that, with 2024 mores, what shocks now is the way we laugh so easily at the Major's dementia. I don't think it's bad that we do that -- you have to laugh or you'd cry -- but it's fascinating nonetheless at how attitudes change over time.
Four stars.
(Would have been three if I'd paid any more.)
Act 1: 19:35-20:32
Act 2: 20:52-21:29
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Post by nash16 on May 19, 2024 14:05:20 GMT
After all, Sybil is an object lesson to doting husbands in childless marriages: fail to stand up to the incessant demands and hen-pecking, turn a blind eye to all the wife's self-indulgence and contempt, then, over time, any Englishman can become the wreck that is Basil Fawlty, that is if they haven't strangled her first. Wow, that’s quite the lesson. |
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Post by lt on May 19, 2024 14:12:32 GMT
After all, Sybil is an object lesson to doting husbands in childless marriages: fail to stand up to the incessant demands and hen-pecking, turn a blind eye to all the wife's self-indulgence and contempt, then, over time, any Englishman can become the wreck that is Basil Fawlty, that is if they haven't strangled her first. Wow, that’s quite the lesson. Never seen Basil as a doting husband, many might think Sybil has the worse part of the deal. Quite the misogynistic take. |
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Post by anthony40 on May 19, 2024 16:34:46 GMT
Wow, that’s quite the lesson. Never seen Basil as a doting husband, many might think Sybil has the worse part of the deal. Quite the misogynistic take. Are you sure you're not describing Mrs Bucket (nee Bouquet) |
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Post by lt on May 19, 2024 17:39:05 GMT
Never seen Basil as a doting husband, many might think Sybil has the worse part of the deal. Quite the misogynistic take. Are you sure you're not describing Mrs Bucket (nee Bouquet) Even if he was, the generalisation and remarks about "doting husbands in childless marriages" is ill-judged at best . |
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Post by mkb on May 19, 2024 19:18:11 GMT
Wow, that’s quite the lesson. Never seen Basil as a doting husband, many might think Sybil has the worse part of the deal. Quite the misogynistic take. Well thanks for that. I think I'm probably one of the least misogynistic people you'll come across, but whatever... There are various lines in the tv series and one in the play where it's made clear that Basil and Sybil were very happy with one another once upon a time and in love. Sybil is now very much the one who gives the orders, and Basil obeys unless he can get away with not doing so. How does a couple get from doting upon one another to, a couple of decades later, being in a constant state of bickering and apparent mutual loathing? I say apparent, because, while Sybil always puts herself first, Basil, despite what he says, still haplessly tries to make Sybil happy, such as by organising a surprise birthday party. I think we can all relate to couples we know that have trodden this path to an unhappy relationship. The familiarity is why it works well as the basis for a comedy. In among some of the dialogue of the tv series are some moments of pathos as they recognise what they have lost. As written, I think Basil is the one who is most to be pitied. Maybe Sybil has redeeming features, but Cleese and Booth have chosen not to reveal them. Speaking from experience of being reluctantly one of a childless couple, I can say that this does, as time ticks on, focus everything on the relationship with a degree of intensity that is not there when there are parental emotions to distract. I think it's relevant in how some middle-aged couples can come to such a heightened state of bad behaviour towards one another. |
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Post by aspieandy on May 19, 2024 20:51:47 GMT
mkb Interesting stuff. Of course, it was very much an era, in UK sitcom at least, of tragedy as the mirror/platform for comedy. Long era, in fact. This was not a young marriage, much was unspoken, with a long road ahead.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2024 23:25:32 GMT
I never thought that the Major had dementia, he might have been a bit forgetful and oblivious.
Cybil is lazy but could get things done and Basil is the classic hen pecked husband who takes out his frustrations on everyone else as he knows he is the inferior person in the marriage.
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Post by talkingheads on May 22, 2024 15:54:47 GMT
I had a great time at today's matinee. First half definitely stronger than the second, The Germans may be the most famous episode but it isn't the funniest, and that is reflected by how they cut out half the script and race to the silly walk.
However, it has to be said that Fawlty Towers are twelve perfect farces, and once the plots got going the audience was roaring with laughter. Paul Nicholas was a highlight, with Adam Jackson-Smith doing a brilliant job of impersonating Cleese's tics, especially when he got angry. Victoria Fox does a pitch perfect impression of Connie Booth, but on stage as on television Polly is a pretty thankless part who really only exists for Basil to bark the plot at.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2024 17:29:11 GMT
I had a great time at today's matinee. First half definitely stronger than the second, The Germans may be the most famous episode but it isn't the funniest, and that is reflected by how they cut out half the script and race to the silly walk. However, it has to be said that Fawlty Towers are twelve perfect farces, and once the plots got going the audience was roaring with laughter. Paul Nicholas was a highlight, with Adam Jackson-Smith doing a brilliant job of impersonating Cleese's tics, especially when he got angry. Victoria Fox does a pitch perfect impression of Connie Booth, but on stage as on television Polly is a pretty thankless part who really only exists for Basil to bark the plot at. How much of his German rant do they cut out? I understand the Major's use of racist language is removed as it has been from the reruns in more recent years. Cutting Basil's German rant is like cutting the build up to say Don't tell him Pike. Victoria Fox is a friend of one of John's daughters and she suggested that Victoria audition for the part. She does have an accent pretty close to Connie when she has been interviewed out of character. |
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Post by talkingheads on May 22, 2024 19:33:58 GMT
I had a great time at today's matinee. First half definitely stronger than the second, The Germans may be the most famous episode but it isn't the funniest, and that is reflected by how they cut out half the script and race to the silly walk. However, it has to be said that Fawlty Towers are twelve perfect farces, and once the plots got going the audience was roaring with laughter. Paul Nicholas was a highlight, with Adam Jackson-Smith doing a brilliant job of impersonating Cleese's tics, especially when he got angry. Victoria Fox does a pitch perfect impression of Connie Booth, but on stage as on television Polly is a pretty thankless part who really only exists for Basil to bark the plot at. How much of his German rant do they cut out? I understand the Major's use of racist language is removed as it has been from the reruns in more recent years. Cutting Basil's German rant is like cutting the build up to say Don't tell him Pike. Victoria Fox is a friend of one of John's daughters and she suggested that Victoria audition for the part. She does have an accent pretty close to Connie when she has been interviewed out of character. Oh none of the famous scene with the Germans is cut, all the jokes are there. By half the script I mean all the scenes with Sybil in hospital, which admittedly are pretty superfluous, but I thought it actually ran a bit too fast. |
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Post by moorhunhe on May 24, 2024 8:39:07 GMT
We saw the matinee yesterday and we fully enjoyed it.
The acting was just great! How they managed to the characters right just like in the original show.
The way the stories were merged I thought was really good.
The last 10-15 minutes did seem rushed though, not sure if they could have stretched it with another 10 minutes or so to take it to a slightly slower pace.
I'm not great at these type of reviews, lol.
We were on the very last row, when they use the set upstairs we could only see from the waist down, but it was only a few minutes really so it wasn't all that bad.
We'll probably be back before it ends in September, but trying for seats a bit lower down.
Also like how the "Fawlty Towers" name on the outside doors were all different like you can see it at the start of every episode, always a letter missing or swapped around, nice touch.
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Post by Jon on May 24, 2024 22:06:04 GMT
Saw this tonight and have to say it exceeded expectations. It's not the most original piece of theatre but it's very funny and the cast are great. Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil is a standout, John Cleese is a hard act to follow but he puts his own spin on the character, Anna-Jane Casey as Sybil is also a highlight.
The merging of three episodes does work to a degree although I think A Touch of Class would have been better suited than Hotel Inspectors, it really ramps up in Act 2 with the conclusion of Communication Problems and The Germans.
Packed tonight, will be interesting to see if it extends.
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