Faulty Towers The Dining Experience returns to Adelaide with their unique brand of improvised mayhem based on the hit 70s British TV show Fawlty Towers. Like the original TV show, it never gets old.
Without seeing this show, especially if you haven't watched the original, it's impossible to understand the iconic characters that propelled a short series of 12 episodes made in 1975 and 1979 into the position of being named the greatest-ever British TV sitcom in 2019. Fast forward to 2023, and Interactive Theatre has grown its show into a worldwide phenomenon that's delighting young and old alike.
Staged in the dining room of The Terrace Hotel, guests are first seated in the lounge bar to prepare for the show/meal. Basil, Sybil, and the ever-stupid Manuel are in character and probably already marking out their new fellow actors (or comic foils) in the room - one of which may turn out to be you.
The show begins seamlessly and before you know it, you're seated in the beautiful space of the restaurant as all hell breaks loose around you, beginning with Basil and Manuel engaging in their classically hilarious repartee. I don't need to give you a rundown of what occurs - if you know, you know. Comedy was just better in the 70s and it's still funny now. If you don't know, you must come and see it.
We've seen the show a few times. It's pleasing to watch different actors claim these iconic roles so well. 70% of the show is improvised and much of it relies on the audience so it's different and laugh-out-loud funny every time. It's not like watching your favourite movie again – you'll have a broad idea of the show but things will turn out differently. We've been kept laughing right throughout each show every year.
Over two hours (with an interval) a three-course meal is served during the show by hotel staff. Everything moves smoothly as the show keeps running around you. Every person at every table will feel as if the actors are spending time acting for them specifically. 'Dining experience' is definitely the right words for this… experience. You and your table mates are as much a part of the show as the actors.
The show will most please those who remember seeing the original TV show when it first aired, but it's easy to see just how funny and fresh it is even to those not old enough to remember the original. The way the actors get away with roasting paying audience members and everyone finds it outrageously funny is the real magic behind what the actors do here. It's not every show and every day that everyone in the room is on the same journey, no matter where they came from – except maybe if they came from Elizabeth.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience runs from 17 February until 12 March with lunch and dinner shows available. Don't waste a second and book here right now. This is an experience you won't forget and want to come back for year after year.