Stepping into John Cleese’s long and weighty shoes is no mean feat, but it’s one that Danny Bayne jumped at with alacrity in West End smash Fawlty Towers – The Play.
“It was daunting and exciting to be offered the part,” Danny agrees, “because the reality is that Basil Fawlty is a character that the public knows so well, and are very protective of. They have expectations of who they expect to see on stage. Plus, everyone knows John Cleese. But the audience lets you know if it isn’t working, and it has been going really well.”
Coming to New Theatre Oxford from July 14 – 18, all hell looks set to break loose in this loving adaption of the hysterical and infamous 70s comedy Fawlty Towers, voted the greatest British TV programme of all time in 2000, which splices together three of the most popular original episodes: The Hotel Inspector, The Germans and Communication Problems.
“The script is still as close to the original as it can possibly be, it’s just been altered to link the three episodes together, and John Cleese came in at the end of rehearsals to make sure it was perfect – and if John Cleese is happy with it then that’s good enough for me,” Danny laughs.
Still based on a guest house in Torquay, where the Monty Python team once stayed, the shenanigans that the hotel team get up to behind the scenes, their inhospitable demeanours, and Basil and Sybil’s tempestuous relationship, will have you weeping in the aisles.
So does Mia Austen, who plays Sybil, believe that the couple really hate each other? “I think their relationship stems from exasperation rather than hatred. They must have loved each other once to have got married, but there is certainly an element of mutual loathing,” she concurs.
“Basil and Sybil are a couple everyone can relate to, which means it’s so much fun to play Sybil, especially as Basil spends most of his time trying to hide from her. So yes, she’s been my favourite character to play. I adore her because she wears the trousers. Prunella Scales (who played Sybil originally) said it best though. She said: “Everyone thinks Sybil is a dragon but I call her a heroine.” I think Sybil was one of the first feminists in comedy but she is so self possessed. She is a queen.”
So what do Danny and Mia think is Fawlty Towers enduring appeal then? “There were only 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers, as if John Cleese knew it was perfect as it was and didn’t want to overdo it. But Fawlty Towers is really a farce, and on stage that works really well, with people running around in and out of doors.
“And the set is like a big dolls house so you can watch people doing things simultaneously in different rooms with the action taking place all over the hotel, from the bedrooms and dining rooms to the reception, so it’s really cleverly done,” Mia explains.
Having completed 800 performances already I wonder how the pair keep it fresh? “Oh we still laugh all the time because it is such a fast paced comedy, and the cast gets on so well, so there are still a lot of japes,” she says.
“But it also means that my children can’t remember me without a moustache,” Danny says. “And mine tell me off at home when I laugh like Sybil,” Mia adds. “But I think when you have played a character for this long it becomes a part of you, and there’s a real magic to that.”
So does this mean that with three episodes covered there is scope for the further nine to be aired in future? Could Fawlty Towers – The Play 2 be a reality? “I am merely a hired hand but I think there have been discussions,” Danny says.
“But touring allows so many new audiences to see Fawlty Towers – The Play. It is expensive to go and see it in the West End so our audiences are delighted that we’re bringing the show to them,” Mia says.
Best gig so far? “Torquay” they say in unison. “It was like a rock concert – John Cleese came along and people were buzzing for months.”
The joy of being able to watch Fawlty Towers – The Play on stage, with the full approval of John Cleese himself, seems too good an opportunity to miss then!
Fawlty Towers – The Play comes to New Theatre Oxford from July 14-18. To book, please visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/fawlty-towers-the-play/new-theatre-oxford/
