What do a chaotic wedding, a messy kitchen, and a hilarious dining experience have in common?
They're all hitting Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year, presented by the globally acclaimed Interactive Theatre International.
'Faulty Towers The Dining Experience' is the longest-running 'Fawlty' show of any kind worldwide, where the iconic characters of the BBC series come to life for an immersive, hilarious and interactive night out. It was, in fact, in Melbourne that 'Faulty' got its big break – with The Jim Henson Company in attendance in 2007, encouraging them to tour the show. . . And the rest is history: 'Faulty' has now been seen in 43 countries around the world. 'Signor Baffo' is one for the kids, where an unlikely chef takes charge of the kitchen, resulting in madness. 'Confetti & Chaos' lands audiences at a complete stranger's wedding, where things unravel quickly and uninvited guests crash the celebrations.
Founded in 1997, Interactive Theatre International produce interactive, immersive theatre and comedy. They tour the world with a handful of shows which have received rave reviews.
Here, we chat to Monique Lewis Reynolds (Lynn/Mel in 'Confetti & Chaos'), Jed McKinney (Basil in 'Faulty Towers') and Josh Burton ('Signor Baffo') about the wild, fun triple threat of shows hitting Mebourne.
To start things off, how would you each describe your show in one sentence?
Monique: A wedding where anything could happen, anyone could arrive and everyone will go home a little more in love with someone.
Jed: A chaotically comic three-course-meal with the Faultys that you'll never forget!
Josh: A big silly fool makes a mess in a kitchen.
All of your shows are immersive and interactive – what’s the funniest or most unexpected audience reaction you’ve ever had?
M: We had a lunch show with some older guests and after a moment where Lynn is quite upset with Will, the groom, as I went to leave an elderly gentleman got up to head out to the bathroom. I had to slow walk behind him and tell him he was pushing his luck walking that slow in front of me when I was this mad. He just keep slow walking and laughing as the room erupted.
JM: One of the most unexpected responses I have experienced was a big foot-in-mouth moment for me. I was talking to a man in the audience and referred to woman sitting next to him as his daughter. His response was "That's my wife". Let's just say Sybil had a lot to say when she found out...
'Faulty Towers The Dining Experience'
Performing a show where the audience plays such a big role must keep you on your toes. Have you ever had a moment where you had to completely shift gears to keep things on track?
M: We had a night at last year's Adelaide Fringe with a rowdy table of guys that got really involved in a moment when Lynn loses her temper with Will, the groom and Ricky, the best man. In order to have some fun and settle them down I suddenly made them the naughty cousins and they copped the rant too. It was just hysterical and as I left the room, I got a standing ovation.
JM: There was a show last Adelaide Fringe where a young girl who was around six years old was Manuel's staunchest defender. She was adorable, and whenever Basil or Sybil would chastise Manuel, she would tell us off for being so mean. When Basil eventually gets his comeuppance later in the show she could not stop giggling – which in turn meant the audience wouldn't stop giggling with her. She would stop, then I would go to say the next line and she would start laughing again – setting off the rest of the audience. I think it took five attempts, back and forth, before we got back into the swing of things.
JB: Sometimes you'll be joking around with a kid and realise that things are about to turn sour and have to go into "everything's okay" mode to make sure they don't get overwhelmed.
With such interactive performances, you must have some close encounters with the audience. What’s the most memorable interaction you’ve had mid-show?
M: One night a gorgeous young man decided he wanted to play along and present himself as an ex-boyfriend of Stacey. I had the best time playing along with him and telling him that he was always my favourite for Stacey and I'm sure he still had chance. We made him part of the show with all of us interacting with him as he confessed his undying love for Stacey.
'Signor Baffo'
Your characters are all larger than life – whether it’s Signor Baffo, Lynn/Mel, or Basil. What’s your favourite thing about playing them?
M: Lynn is so infectious and she loves to overshare so I love that guests just can't wait to play along and tell her absolutely anything about Will and Stacey. I love playing Mel and being a shock character. I love that she is just sashaying around the room regardless of any interruption and I love her attitude.
JM: It's hard to distill it down to one thing, but I think I would have to say I really enjoy getting to be such an egotistical, ill-mannered, megalomaniac. I try very hard in my day-to-day life to be a nice person, so getting to put that aside and be callous and vindictive as Basil is a lot of fun.
JB: The freedom I have while interacting with the audience. The fact that I can just go on a tangent and improvise with the kids for a while is my favourite part of the character!
Comedy is at the heart of all your shows, but they’re all quite different styles. What’s the key to making people laugh, no matter the setting?
M: Disarm them, connect and always listen to them and the space around their laughter.
JM: I think one of the biggest things in making people laugh – and especially improv – is listening. Different audiences enjoy different types of humour, and each audience member has an individual sense of humour. You try something, see what works and what doesn't and then adjust accordingly. Also, a lot of the time our audience members are really funny, so if you listen to them, they'll give you gold to play with.
JB: Bringing them in on the joke with you. Every show is different and requires you to listen to the audience and vibe off the energy they're giving you for that day. So it's about being flexible and not rigid in your delivery.
Each of your shows has moments of chaos – what’s been your biggest ACTUAL onstage disaster, and how did you recover?
M: One night we couldn't get the lid off one of our props (no spoilers – I won't tell you what it is) and in desperation we asked one of the audience members to help us. It turned out he worked somewhere that deals with this type of container all the time. The laughter and ad lib after that moment had the room in fits of laughter for a full five minutes. Thank god he opened it for us, pure comedy gold!
JM: It wasn't quite an 'onstage' disaster, but my first ever show didn't go quite to plan! While stretching, backstage in the middle of the show there was a deafening *RIIIPPPP*. To my horror – and the kitchen staffs amusement – my pants had split along the entire crotch seam from the bottom of my fly to the back waistband. The rest of my team were on the floor in the middle of a scene, and I had approximately three minutes before I needed to burst back on stage. Trying to stop panic from setting in, I turned to the chef and asked "long shot, but do you have a needle and thread?" – sadly it was indeed too long of a shot. "Okay then, how about a stapler?" Cut to me – in my dacks – stapling my pants back together in the middle of a bustling kitchen – waitstaff all very much enjoying the spectacle. The show did go on – although I had staples in places staples should never be – and as a result had band-aids in places band-aids should never be!
JB: I only needed two children volunteers to play chickens but instead I got about 20 come down to the stage. I couldn't ask them all to leave. So we made a choir of chickens instead!
'Confetti & Chaos'
If you could swap roles for a night and jump into one of the other shows, which one would you choose and why?
M: I would happily become Signor Baffo. Getting to goof around with kids, making a general fool of yourself AND making them giggle would be pure joy.
JM: I would love to play Ricky in 'Confetti & Chaos'. I don't want to give too much away – but I love the absolute antics his character gets up to! There's never a dull moment!
JB: 'Faulty Towers' for the free dinner and moustaches.
Finally, for anyone coming to Melbourne International Comedy Festival, why should they see your show?
M: Because we have all been at a wedding where something happened that shouldn't have and you couldn't really laugh out loud. At 'Confetti & Chaos' we encourage you to laugh along with us all night long!
JM: Whether you're a fan of the original sitcom, or you're new to 'Faulty Towers' – our show is a night out like you've never had before! It is silly, raucous, and hilariously captures the essence of the characters we all know and love (or will know and love by the end of your night with us!). It is a theatre experience like no other, the interactive nature of the show means you're up close and personal with the cast, and the improvised sections mean the show is never the same show twice! So come dine at 'Faulty Towers' and you might get a little more than you ordered!
'Faulty Towers The Dining Experience' plays Oaks On Market Hotel 27 March-6 April.
'Signor Baffo' plays The Malthouse 29 March-19 April.
'Confetti & Chaos' plays Oaks On Market Hotel 10-13 April.
