Growing up, Fawlty Towers was one of the British comedy staples in my grandparents household. If it wasn’t being watched via some re-run on a Saturday afternoon there was always a DVD boxset handy. So when the Faulty Towers Original Dining Experience popped up, this was a chance for a nostalgic trip down memory lane that I did not want to miss. 

A raucously hilarious and wonderfully chaotic dining experience, the Faulty Towers Original Dining Experience is a comedic treat for fans of the original show. 

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Now I’d never been to anything that would resemble experiential, immersive theatre before, so didn’t really know what to expect. But as we waited in the lobby, drinks in hand, Manuel entered, napkin in hand, brushing imaginary crumbs off peoples jackets. 

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It was a brilliant icebreaker, instantly putting everyone at ease. From there, we were guided by an already perturbed Basil into the dining room where, in light of the chaotic search for chef's ‘intimate’ missing item, we were served a hearty, vegetable soup to start. 

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The performance itself was structured around the serving of all three of the courses and while there wasn’t dialogue or sequences directly from the classic BBC sitcom itself, the themes that played out were very recognisable. From Sybil’s constant annoyance at Basil to Manuel being berated and trying to hide from Basil’s beatings, this was Fawlty Towers through and through. 

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While the script was top notch, the success of this production comes down to the cast itself who improvised and interacted wonderfully with the audience (without embarrassing anyone). Kiwi Jed McKinney wonderfully captured the exasperated Basil and Eilannin Harris-Black Sybil was simply divine as the severe, serenading Sybil. But the show belonged to Michael Gonsalves who’s energetic performance as Manuel was utterly superb. Unfortunately the only slight downside was the food itself with the main of roasted chicken leaving a little to be desired. 

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A raucously hilarious and wonderfully chaotic dining experience, the Faulty Towers Original Dining Experience is a comedic treat for fans of the original show.