Dishing out Fawlty Towers comedy and chaos amidst the food
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The Fawlty trio keeping guests in stitches. Pix by Amila Gamage
When the Fawlty gang took over the Maitland State Room of the Mount Lavinia Hotel, guests and patrons sat eagerly awaiting both the three course dinner/lunch and the main course of the meal- chaos, comedy and mayhem. Performed by the Interactive Theatre International, the globetrotting immersive theatre experience saw the three iconic, hilarious hoteliers- Basil Fawlty, his domineering wife Sybil and butt end of every joke (including Basil’s anger, which is almost always the direct result of Sybil’s anger)- the lovable Spanish waiter Manuel.
The dining experience was authentically “Fawlty” down to the slapstick humour and Sybil’s signature screech that echoed through the hallways of the Hotel, leaving even the Mt. Lavinia’s real life staff, in near suppressed giggles. Audiences were accomplice to Manuel’s many escapades, even getting locked out of the room by the obnoxious Basil. For those who are lovers of the vintage British comedy and John’s Cleese’s dry wit, the experience was a mere swinging chandelier from (as Manuel made sure of, artfully climbing over diners toward the candelabra) the beloved 1970’s sitcom.
