Thursday 19 April 2012

The Fawlty Towers Dining Experience


No, no we didn't go to a restaurant with exceptionally bad service, it was actually an interactive show based on Fawlty Towers. We are ushered into the bar where Basil, Sybil and Manuel are serving in their own inimitable style before being called in for our meal. Our table draws attention first with Basil attempting to open a wine bottle with some help from Manuel:
Very Appetising
Which culminates in Basil falling in to the lap of himself. Wine poured and soup served two guests discover that 'chef' has dropped his false teeth into their bowls. And after much consternation Sybil wonders why she hired Manuel. Manuel insists that he is not 'hire' and once again decides to use himself to demonstrate.
"See - he higher!"
 Sybil at this point loses the rag and yells "Sit Down" at which point himself is without a chair.
My new husband
Soup finished, bowls taken away and order briefly restored before the main course. Until Manuel finding Sybil and Basil have left the room decides to do a bit of showing off and once again picks on our table.  As he uses an unfortunate lady as a ladder he climbs on our table to pretend to be a matador
I should add he did later attempt to fix the lady's hair with a fork!

Basil: "Manuel, what in hell do you think you're doing?!!"
We have a brief and complicated explanation of what we should do in the event of a fire, and because we can't leave through the same exit our table is resigned to digging a tunnel, while the table beside us must jump through the window. Since some tables were unsure of what they were meant to be doing Basil turns to himself and asks him what his profession is:
"Ah a programmer, a logistical mind of reason. Alright everybody in the event of a fire: follow him!"
This culminates in Basil raising the alarm for the drill at which point himself has to leg it out of the room while the rest of us are unsure whether to follow or not. I don't have any photos of him as I was too busy laughing. And so ends the first half of the performance.
The second half is a run through of old favourites from the series with audience interaction. Among the final scenes Manuel looking for his 'Siberian hamster' emerges from under a table with a ladies knickers. In the heel of the hunt Basil winds up wearing the knickers on his head and the grand finale is the infamous goose-step across the room

The show was fantastic, the actors have all the mannerisms and intonations down to a T, and if you ever get the opportunity then go see it - but not with a very tall man who attracts attention.


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