Fawlty Towers, Adapted by John Cleese, to Play the West End

John Cleese’s official theatrical adaptation of Fawlty Towers, the acclaimed British sitcom, will open in the West End this spring. Performances will begin May 4 at London’s Apollo Theatre ahead of a May 15 opening.

Widely considered one of the greatest television comedies of all time, Fawlty Towers centered on a Torquay hotel and beleaguered hotelier Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese. The adaptation, which premiered in Australia in 2016, is by Cleese with Connie Booth, his co-writer and co-star on the original series, as well as his wife at the time. It combines three episodes of the show: “The Hotel Inspector,” “The Germans” and “Communication Problems.”

“I’ve adapted three of my favorite episodes for the stage and written one huge finale,” Cleese said in a statement. “We’ve been involved in the casting process for some time, being constantly reminded of what a wealth of acting talent we have in Britain—sorting the very, very, very good from the merely very, very good. Finally, we assembled a top-class group of comedy actors.”

The London cast features Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil Fawlty, Anna-Jane Casey as his wife Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as the waiter Manuel and Victoria Fox as Polly. The show is directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, who was associate director for Monty Python’s live reunion performances at London’s O2 Arena in 2014. The creative team also includes set and costume design by Liz Ascroft and lighting design by Ian Scott.

Cleese came up with the idea for Fawlty Towers during filming for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the basis for Spamalot. The series was first broadcast on BBC Two in September 1975.