John Cleese is gearing up for a sequel to the hugely successful stage adaptation, Fawlty Towers: The Play. The original production, featuring iconic scenes from beloved episodes of the classic BBC sitcom, has captivated audiences since its West End debut last year. Now, at 85, Cleese is developing a new stage show that will showcase three additional classic episodes from the series, once again bringing to life his character, the blundering hotel owner Basil Fawlty.
The upcoming play will draw from episodes such as “The Psychiatrist,” where Basil fumblingly reaches for a light switch and accidentally gropes a guest, “The Kipper and the Corpse,” in which the hotel staff scramble to conceal a dead body, and “Basil the Rat,” involving an escape of waiter Manuel’s pet rodent.
The original Fawlty Towers: The Play focused on favourites like “The Germans,” famous for Basil’s awkward imitation of Adolf Hitler, as well as “Mrs Richards” and “The Food Inspectors.” Cleese expressed enthusiasm about extending the show’s run with new material: “It has been so successful that I said, ‘Let’s put together three other shows.’ There is no reason we cannot do it again, but we wouldn’t want to have it on at the same time, so maybe in a year and a half’s time.”
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Staying true to the spirit of the original 1970s series, the stage adaptations have preserved the classic content with minimal changes. Cleese has previously criticized the increasing trend of adding trigger warnings to older comedy programs, arguing that literal-minded interpretations miss the nuance of irony and satire essential to comedic art. “Literal-minded people can only have one interpretation of what’s being said,” he said, emphasizing the importance of understanding context and irony in appreciating comedy.