John Cleese meets Basil Fawlty in a fun promotional video for his new show.
The comedy veteran, 84, is seen arriving at London’s Apollo Theater to collect two complimentary tickets for Fawlty Towers: The Play and is greeted by Basil, played by actor Adam Jackson-Smith, who is attending the reception with a typically inimitable style.
John is adapting the legendary sitcom, which he wrote with his co-star and ex-wife Connie Booth and who starred as famous hotel manager Basil, for the West End and opens on May 4.
A new cast will bring the iconic characters back to life, led by Jackson-Smith, who will be the first actor to play Basil in an official production of Fawlty Towers since John.
And as the exclusive promo shows, it managed to capture the hallmarks of one of British comedy’s most famous creations.
John Cleese (pictured October 2023) meets Basil Fawlty in a fun promotional video for his new stage show.
The comedy veteran is seen arriving at London’s Apollo Theater to collect two free tickets for Fawlty Towers: The Play and is greeted by Basil, played by actor Adam Jackson-Smith (pictured), who is attending the reception with a typically inimitable style.
He was first seen giving short shrift to a caller who called the theater to ask if drinks were sold during the interval, before sarcastically suggesting that the theater could “move left” to accommodate his needs.
His sass continues when John enters the theater and asks him to “speak properly” before complaining that giving away free tickets was detrimental to the theater’s finances.
But Basil’s mood quickly changes when John reveals his name, prompting him to turn on his charm by offering the show’s front man a series of treats, including an interval drink, peanuts, a prawn cocktail and a bottle of expensive wine. .
John respectfully declines the offer, admitting that he just wants to watch the show, turning to the camera and saying, “I hear it’s very, very funny.”
Fawlty Towers: The Play is a two-hour production based on three classic television episodes: The Hotel Inspector and The Germans from the first season and Communication Problems from the second season.
Speaking about the show’s return to the West End, John says: “What a thrill to bring Fawlty Towers to the West End for the first time, almost 50 years since the show was first recorded in December 1974.
“We have been involved in the casting process for some time, constantly reminding ourselves of the wealth of acting talent we have in Britain, separating the very, very, very good from the merely very, very good.
‘Finally, we’ve assembled a group of top-notch comedy actors who will bring the show to the Apollo Theater on Shaftesbury Avenue.
A new cast will bring the iconic characters back to life, led by Jackson-Smith, who will be the first actor to play Basil in an official production of Fawlty Towers since John.
Fawlty Towers: The Play is a two-hour production based on three classic television episodes: The Hotel Inspector and The Germans from the first series and Communication Problems from the second series.
‘I’ve adapted three of my favorite episodes for the stage and written a grand finale, which will bring together the endings of all three episodes.
‘So here we are, from Torquay, past the old BBC Television Centre, to the West End. I hope some of you come to the Apollo to laugh together. And laugh. And laugh.’
The iconic sitcom ran from 1975 to 1979 and is widely considered one of the best sitcoms of all time.
It centered on the dysfunctional fictional Fawlty Towers hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, Devon, owned and managed by Basil, whose rude and abrupt style caused several crises.
The comedy also starred Prunella Scales as his bossy wife Sybil and Andrew Sachs as hapless Spanish waiter Manuel.
- Tickets for Fawlty Towers: The Play are on sale at FawltyTowersWestend.com
