The world's longest-running and most successful 'Fawlty Towers' tribute returns to Adelaide Fringe – an immersive dinner-and-a-show production with glowing reviews internationally.
Presented by Interactive Theatre International, 'Faulty Towers The Dining Experience' is a delicious combination of improvisation, audience participation, and a completely original theatrical script. It features all the favourites from the original BBC TV series – Basil, Manuel, Sybil and more.
'Faulty' was born in Brisbane in 1997, and now tours Australia year-round with four separate casts.
Audiences will become paying guests at the Faulty Towers hotel, ready for chaos, comedy, and action.
Here, we find out more from the multi-talented Jamie Burgess (Amity Dry: '39 Forever', 'Fortified' and 'Highway Superstar'), who plays Basil in the show. Jamie has toured with independent theatre companies, written for the stage (and been met with critical acclaim for it), and was born and raised in New Zealand – now calling Melbourne home.
First of all, this is your Adelaide Fringe debut! What is the significance of this festival for you?
Yes this is my first time at Adelaide Fringe with 'Faulty', but if you’ve been anywhere near Rymill Park over the last eight (or so) years, you will surely have noticed me running around Gluttony between shows! I’ve been an absolute festival glutton alongside some incredible performers in that time: Tash York for her award-winning show ‘Adulting’, with my best friend Justin in our cabaret ‘He’s Every Woman’, and of course with Adelaide’s newest Real Estate mega-star Amity Dry since the very first ’39 Forever’ (when she was in fact turning 39). This year, I won’t actually be singing or playing the piano, which will truly be weird. . . Although if you stick around after the show at the Terrace Hotel, I might be convinced to find a piano somewhere and lead a sing along (for a generous tip!)
And what are you most looking forward to about being part of it this year?
Adelaide is honestly my favourite Australian city (behind Melbourne, because I live here!) The food is always phenomenal, the gin is always great (at Hains & Co) and the people are gorgeous. What’s NOT to look forward to!
Tell us a bit about ‘Faulty Towers The Dining Experience’.
'The Dining Experience' has been around for 26 years now, starting in Brisbane way back in '97 and eventually taking over the UK, Scotland and Europe as well. The show has travelled all over the world, employed hundreds of actors, and helped feed millions of people metric tonnes of chicken and veggies. Haha.
How suitable is this performance for people who might not have seen the original show?
Before I accepted the role, I had never actually sat down and watched an episode of 'Fawlty Towers'. I just knew it as something that had always been on TV that my grandparents adored. So when I first saw 'The Dining Experience' (in Adelaide when it was playing down at the Oval) I just expected an angry Basil and lots of tired Spanish waiter jokes. What happens is far more exciting and interactive than that. You don’t have to have any prior knowledge of the TV series to get swept up in just BEING IN this show as a guest at dinner that goes wrong. So many people come back to see us time and time again because every evening is unique, every show is affected by YOU being there, and the fabulous thing is you don’t even have to DO anything to become part of what's happening. Simply by turning up, you’re IN IT. (If you wear a loud shirt though, you’re just asking for trouble!)
Image © Jane Hobson
And you’ll be stepping into the role of Basil. What is Basil’s most redeeming quality?
His moustache. They’re very on-trend again, so I’m happy to rock mine on a daily basis.
What is most challenging about a role like Basil?
John Cleese created himself an icon when he wrote Basil (with his then wife Connie Booth). Basil was based on a real-life experience, and obviously played to Cleese’s own strengths as a performer, the funny walks, the uptight mannerisms, the insensitivity. . . And for any actor who has to embody an icon it’s a challenging prospect. I’m a kiwi, I’m gay, and I’m a really nice person! Basil is pretty much the opposite to me, which was initially scary, but has become a bit of a secret joy… I mean it’s tough being rude to people for two and a half hours a night. . . Isn’t it?!?
Why do you think audiences keep coming back to this production after so many years?
Let me just say, what happens in the room STAYS in the room!
They’ll get dinner and a show. What’s it like to perform in and around an audience, as opposed to just up on a stage the whole time?
I reckon interactive theatre is where it’s AT at the moment. During the evening, you might not be able to hear everything or see every moment that happens, but then we’ll be at your table and there’ll be a moment that takes place that’s just for you! There’s laughter and screaming and chaos erupting all over the room all through the night, and it’s thrilling. It feels REAL, and that’s what makes being out on the floor, right in among it, so much more engaging than sitting in the dark in a row of seats watching a stage. *Disclaimer: So long as the venue and the actors are aware, we can and will tailor the experience so that guests of all abilities can interact (or not) with us. It's always our intention for EVERYBODY to really enjoy themselves.
Describe ‘Faulty Towers The Dining Experience’ in three words.
Fringe. Award. Winning. (wink, wink!)
’Faulty Towers The Dining Experience' plays Botanical Room at The Terrace Hotel Adelaide 17 February-12 March.
