Faulty Towers – The Dining Experience

 Faulty Towers – The Dining Experience is unlike any night out I’ve had at a theatre or restaurant.  

 Tuesday, July 12, 2011Presented by: Interactive Theatre Int.
Venue :Bleeding Heart, Ann St (Brisbane)
Faulty Towers – The Dining Experience is unlike any night out I’ve had at a theatre or restaurant. Presented by the aptly named, Interactive Theatre International, the Bleeding Heart venue in the heart of Brisbane city was transformed into the infamous Fawlty Towers hotel restaurant, where audience members become guests for the night and enjoy a three-course meal served by the barking Basil, shrieking Sybil, and language challenged Manuel.  The fun started while we were waiting at the bar to be seated by Manuel who took Basil’s instructions to “seat the guests” literally by trying to physically seat a man on the ground! Then when asked to “circulate” the canapés, Manuel stood there holding his tray of nuts and spun around on the spot. The gags stemming from that one tray of nuts was as you can imagine, endless. Once seated, we negotiated swappsies with other people at our table so we would all have a full set of cutlery each, caught flying buns thrown by our waiters, and then the soup was served, with more parsley served onto the table than into the soup. However, the chef had lost something in the soup and I was the “lucky” one to find it in mine (you’ll have to go see the show the show to find out what it was).  More madness and mahem ensued as the cast, through scripted chaos and improvised antics, recreated classic moments from the popular 1970’s British TV sitcom including Manuel’s missing pet hamster (or was it a rat), the fire drill skit, and Basil’s secret horse bet.  The cast was uncanny in their imitations of their TV counterparts. Basil with his high energy, quick wit, unmistakable John Cleese voice, moustache, slicked hair, and well-studied physicality including that goose-step was faultless. Sybil the gracious hostess with that unforgettable laugh and overbearing manner as she shrieks to pull Basil and Manuel in line, was strong and convincing and helped balance out the chaos. However, my favourite was poor Manuel who was so endearing and hilarious in his naive attempts to understand and carry out Basil’s instructions and berated when he didn’t get it quite right (or entirely wrong for that matter). I can see why Faulty Towers had sell-out performances in Melbourne and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it launched in 2008. I’m also happy to report the meal was quite enjoyable – a nice soup, yummy chicken pastry, and pavlova for dessert. It’s definitely a one of a kind theatrical dining experience and highly recommended for a great night out with a group of friends or even as a work function. A definite talking point around the cooler at work the next day! Booking Information Ph: 1300 308 198 www.interactivetheatre.com.au