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When you’re ushered into a restaurant and spy a bread roll as a chock under a table leg, an oversized rat on another table, and discover you have two knives and two peppers instead of the usual duos, you can only guess that the next few hours will present some challenges in the dining stakes. It also points to the fact that with such attention to detail, the ensuing entertainment is likely to be top notch.

Fawlty Towers is well regarded as one of the pinnacles of British comedy; some claim it as the greatest sitcom ever created. So, it’s a brave soul indeed to take on such beloved material and re-work it. Luckily for the 60 or so nervous diners in attendance on opening night, Interactive Theatre does justice enough to the legacy to make this Dining Experience a very enjoyable one. The company play it smart by making the show an amalgam of many memorable situations and jokes from the original show: the classic goose step, clandestine gambling, and rat jokes all received applause mid-chew from the appreciative audience.

One of the true delights of the theatre is the experience of live artists right in front of you and you can’t get much closer than when in the midst of theatre dining. A trembling Manuel leaning on your table, wide-eyed, asking you to please stack your bowls is a rather privileged vantage point when the caliber of acting is as high as it was last night. The cast of three playing Basil (Blair Martin), Sybil (Karen Hamilton), and Manuel (Daley Donnelly) are an exceptionally talented trio of actors whose renditions of the famous characters are a delight to experience, particularly so up close. Martin’s Basilesque mannerisms are impressive, as is Hamilton’s mincing walk and trademark Sybil laugh, and Donnelly delivers a near flawless performance as the downtrodden Manuel.

Of course, it’s not an experience without some hazards. Hot bowls of soup are slammed unceremoniously down in front of you and bread rolls must be caught mid air if one wants to actually consume them. Naturally it all adds to the fun factor and the completeness of the Fawlty Towers experience. My only quibble, as is usually the case when it comes to theatre dining, is that the food is a very poor cousin to the entertainment. Give me better food and I’d be giving this show ten out of ten.


2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience

Venue: The Aegean Restaurant, 19 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne
Dates: 1 - 18 April 2010
Tickets: $75 includes 3-course dinner and 2-hour show |  lunchtime performances $65 includes 2-course lunch and 2-hour show
Bookings: 1300 308 193 | www.interactivetheatre.com.au