Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience

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Our table for two was merged to become a table for four without either of the couples involved being consulted. My soup arrived fifteen minutes later than everybody else’s; meanwhile, someone at the next table found a set of dentures in theirs. Empty bowls and used cutlery were piled up on our table, one of our party was publicly ridiculed for having ordered the vegetarian option and I ended up being forced to spank the restaurant owner: welcome to the live theatrical version of Fawlty Towers, the much-loved, iconic 1970s British sitcom starring John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs as the hapless team at the helm of what was then (and probably still is) a typical English holiday resort hotel.

Professional theatre company Interactive Theatre Australia have been taking their Faulty Towers event around the world since 1997, and most recently went down a storm at the Edinburgh Festival. Aiming to “remove the boundaries normally associated with theatrical performance”, the company keep their antics off the traditional stage and instead mingle freely with an audience of diners who become extras to unwittingly supplement a fast-paced script while the ITA players all offer near-impeccable, faithful renditions of the characters who influenced the original show, bringing identikit reconstructions of comedy legends to life. But despite all the interactivity, this is not an uncomfortable or humiliating experience to be avoided at all costs by limelight-shirkers, and no aspect of the overall event feels too unfamiliar for comfort; we know what to expect from a booking at Fawlty/Faulty Towers - and let’s face it, a frosty welcome, rude service and chaotic staff are a customary part of the time-honoured Great British Eating Out Tradition. Food served when ITA visit Komedia, however (which they’ll be doing again in January) thankfully doesn’t complement the anticipated ambience. While the set dinner (in this instance, leek and potato soup, beef bourguignon or vegetarian lasagne and lemon cheesecake) couldn’t be said to be entirely representative of the vibrant Fearnley-Whittingstall-inspired grub served in the Canteen itself, the quality was well above standards normally associated with crowd-pleasing fare prepared ahead of time to feed a crowd at one sitting. We could have done with more bread than the half slice thrown at us at the start, but those who dared ask for more were richly rewarded by an up close and personal exchange with Basil (although not necessarily more bread).

As our dinner progressed (with caution, might I add; I half-expected Manuel’s pet rat to have met the same fate as the chef’s dentures), our presence made Basil increasingly fractious, Sybil progressively irascible and dear little Manuel more dazed and confused by the moment, until Mr Fawlty completely lost the plot...hence the spanking I was forced to administer. Ah, if only all appalling restaurant experiences left us feeling so uplifted.

FAULTY TOWERS THE DINING EXPERIENCE KOMEDIA, 22-23 WESTGATE STREET, BATH, BA1 1EP. TEL: 0845 293 8480 WEB: WWW.INTERACTIVETHEATRE.COM.AU / WWW.KOMEDIA.CO.UK/BATH

VENUE VERDICT