Review – Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience

Faulty Towers- The Dining Experience is a cabaret-esque show that provides the audience with a three-course dinner and invites them into the fictional world of the Fawlty Towers Hotel, the setting and topic of the beloved sitcom classic starring John Cleese and Prunella Scales. The audience are treated as guests of the infamous hotel.

After entering you are invited to enjoy a before dinner drink in the bar and have a chat with fellow audience members. At 7pm, Manuel (Geoffrey Reczek) appears and shuffles the guests to reception, where Basil (Kevin Whittle) and Sybil (Amanda McKay) are already going at each other. After a few sight gags and repeated hilarious misinterpretations of instructions by Manuel, each party is called by Basil and allocated a table number. It is at this point in the evening that the show really gathers steam, only getting better and better as the night goes on. It is also at this point that it became apparent that is show is not for those who are easily insulted. In true Basil Fawlty form, guests are commented on, mocked and snickered at, all in the snootiest, most British way possible.

The dinner continues in much the same style, with frequent interceptions from the cast. Many of the gags the cast perform are inspired by or directly lifted from the show itself, something which will give true fans a kick. Others are original, or old gags with a twist, but are all equally delightful – I won’t give away the details, lest the surprises be ruined for others.

While the entrée segment of the evening is all part of the fun, the cast respectfully leave the guests alone for the majority of the main course , which after the high-energy antics, was a welcome break.

While the performances were uproarious and overall a triumph, the downside to the evening was the decidedly average meal served.

Provided that you can laugh at yourself, and don’t mind the risk of being in the limelight, Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience makes for a great night out. At $89, it is expensive, but is well worth it, particularly for die-hard fans of the show.