Laura's screening with Laura Weaser

Fawlty Towers (Detour Theatre)

Directed: Devon Williamson

Starring: Stuart Gunn, Lisa Thorne, Matt Simmons, Jo Parkes, Geoff Herd, June Konze, Julia Peters, Liam Hagan, Dylan Topping, Melanie Harris, Mikayla Williamson, Sandra Saller, Joye Koerber, Cathy Simmons.

Over 30 years since its first episode and Fawlty Towers has proved its sticking power as one of Britain's best made TV comedies.

Not only that, but its popularity is echoed in the fact that the Detour Theatre's production sells out a week before its end.

The Detour show is a compilation of three of the four first episodes: ‘A Touch of Class', ‘The Builders' and ‘The Hotel Inspectors'.

Detour Theatre has set out to painstakingly recreate the cast and set in a model of the TV show and done a very successful job of it.

In true Fawlty fashion, the three episodes/production show slapstick capers, witty one-liners and the dry English humour of Basil Fawlty.

The thing I liked most about this play was the attention to detail. Knowing the success of Fawlty Towers, it would be an injustice to stray from the source material or create characters the audience didn't recognise.

Director Devon Williamson has obviously put in long hours with the cast to ensure their performances are right on the money.

Stuart Gunn is very good. Although a big John Cleese fan, I have to say he is not an easy actor to imitate nor Basil an easy character to imitate in terms of voice, mannerism and timing, but Stuart gives it a real go, and played the part of Basil very accurately.

There is nothing more distinctive than the shrill cry of ‘Basil!' across the stage.

Lisa Thorne is simply wretched as Sybil – in a good way. She is everything that is cruel, nagging and a self-righteousness about Sybil and she plays the character with such glee, I can feel her enjoyment of this character oozing into the audience.

But my absolute favourite character was Manuel, played by Matt Simmons.

The lack of English increasingly frustrates Basil, who often takes his frustration out on Manuel with a sharp tap to the back of the head.

While I don't condone hitting your workers in any situation, it is amusing to see the banter between them. Simmons plays the character with such a wide-eyed innocence as Basil gets increasingly wound up.

Maintaining all the bits and pieces that make Fawlty Towers what it is – the slap-stick, multiple entrances and exits, and classic misunderstandings – Detour Theatre has done a fine job lifting the show to the stage and clearly had a good time. The show has sold out, but after this success no doubt there will be more Fawtly in Tauranga!