Laughter all round as Fawlty Towers hits the Lyceum Theatre stage
It’s been fifty years since Fawlty Towers was on our telly screens.
The sitcom is set in a Torquay hotel has been adapted for the stage by the original writer, John Cleese.
Cleese has taken three original TV episodes and combined them into a single two-hour comedy play made just for the stage. Following a London West End run in 2025, Fawlty Towers - The Play, headed on a UK tour and arrived in Sheffield in April.
I wasn’t watching TV the first time the show was on the telly but with only 12 episodes ever made I soon caught up and hear them quoted all over the place.
There was a roar from the crowd as the theme music started and the show began at the Lyceum Theatre on the night I was attending.
Act one of the play, started off slow as the three episodes, ‘Communication Problems’, ‘The Hotel Inspector’ and ‘The Germans’ were all set up.
Danny Bayne had to be the perfect casting as Basil Fawtly, the way he mimicked the physical comedy of John Cleese was perfect. Emily Winter, who was the understudy, was also a fantastic Sybil.
The 35-minute-long act two is where the storylines come together in spectacular fashion.
This was jammed packed with laughs from start to end. The slapstick style comedy that made it so popular with fans hasn’t lost its way by being on the stage.
Overall I really enjoyed the show. It is definitely one for the fans of the TV show.
You could hear people laughing before the punchline proving that those who know the show aren’t put off by it not showing anything new.
I’m not sure if new audiences or anyone who hasn’t seen the show before will love it the same, some of the content is a little dated now, and I’m not sure if you’d get away with writing these scripts in 2026 but for those who know and love the show for what it is, I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Written by John Cleese and Connie Booth
Directed byCaroline Jay Ranger
Fawlty Towers The Play
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield