Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is a long-running international interactive theatre show, loosely adapted from the original BBC Fawlty Towers television sitcom.
Origins
editOriginally staged in Brisbane, Australia in 1997, the show was created by Australian writer Alison Pollard-Mansergh, and was the first show to transfer to London's West End from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012.[1]
The show subsequently received international success, and has since been performed in 43 countries worldwide.[2]
Staging
editThe two hour immersive comedy show is largely improvised, and centres on a three-course meal served to audience members by characters based upon those featured in the original Fawlty Towers TV programme. It is managed by production company Interactive Theatre International, formerly known as Imagination Workshop.[3]
After running simultaneous productions across Australia and the UK, the show made its debut in Ireland and the Netherlands in 2008, and Belgium, Bahrain, Denmark and Dubai in 2011.
From 2012-2017, the show was performed in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, including Thailand, Cyprus, South Africa, Sweden
Iceland, the Philippines, Malaysia, Antigua and Papua New Guinea.
The show made its debut in London's West End on the 26th October 2012 Charing Cross Hotel, being the first Edinburgh Fringe show to transfer. Following a five year residency at the venue, it later transferred to the Kings Way Hall hotel in 2017, and later to the Radisson Blu Hotel until 2021. Following the COVID Pandemic in 2022, the show reopened in the President Hotel where it is currently resident.[4]
As of 2013 the show has a residency at Sydney Opera House, and was performed for a five night run at The Royal Albert Hall in 2012.[5][6][7]
Controversy
editIn 2016 the original creator of Fawlty Towers John Cleese challenged the legal validity of the production on Twitter.[8] Although no further legal action was pursued by Cleese, the widely publicised dispute led to the cancellation of the shows upcoming US tour.[9][10][11][12]
In popular culture
editFaulty Towers The Dining Experience appeared on BBC's The Apprentice on 14th March 2024 as a reward for the episode's task-winning contestants.[13]
From 2008 until 2018, the show partnered with the BBC's Children in Need, running fundraising performances, and appearing in the live broadcast shows.
References
edit- ^ 12th December 2012 Interview: The Janice Long Show BBC Radio 2 Retrieved 8 August 2024
- ^ "Fine-dining Faulty Towers style". BBC News. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Groves, Nancy (5 March 2014). "Fawlty Towers dining experience promises to make a meal of it". Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Faulty Towers The Dining Experience celebrates 15 years in the UK". West End Theatre. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Hunt, Elle (17 May 2016). "John Cleese's attack on Fawlty Towers tribute was about publicity, says creator". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Faulty Towers The Dining Experience". SydneyOperaHouse.com. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ Groves, Nancy (5 March 2014). "Fawlty Towers dining experience promises to make a meal of it". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Greenwood, Carl (24 March 2016). "John Cleese to Sue Production Company Behind Fawlty Towers "Rip-Off"". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ Hinchecliff, Jessica (17 May 2016). "Fawlty Towers tribute creator says show will go on despite John Cleese legal threat". ABC News. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "John Cleese may sue Fawlty Towers 'rip-off'". BBC News. 24 March 2016.
- ^ Hunt, Elle (23 May 2016). "Fawlty Towers-based show producers staggered by John Cleese's 'vitriol'". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ Hunt, Elle (23 March 2016). "John Cleese may sue Australian theatre company over Fawlty Towers rip-off". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ Dan, Seddon (14 March 2024). "The Apprentice fires another contestant after Budapest tour task". Yahoo! News.