Adam Jackson-Smith talks ‘Fawlty Towers – The Play’: “Basil is truly the hero, everyone else is the enemy”

John Cleese’s beloved sitcom continues to crack West End audiences through this new stage adaptation bringing together some of the best moments from the iconic television series. Guillermo Nazara chats with the man in charge of playing Torquay’s most enchanting hotelier, to learn all of the fun facts about the show that we need to knowwwwwwwww.

How does it feel to be starring in the first West End adaptation of one of the most beloved series in television history?

It’s funny to think about it now. Six months ago, when we started, there was this trepidacious feeling of doubt as for how successful it was going to be. But after seeing how well-received it has been, it’s really a wonderful sensation! It’s just so great and a huge privilege and honour with this amazing company, and just make people laugh – I think that’s in fact the biggest takeaway that we have from this production: all these people coming to us at the end of the show to thank us for the last couple of hours, when they could forget about life and just enjoy themselves.

This play is a compilation of episodes from the original series. What, do you think, makes the show still resonate with today’s audiences after so many decades since its first broadcast?

I think the writing is so tight. Those original 12 episodes, all of them 30 minutes long, they have such an architecture that, if you break it down, you’ll see how intricately woven is. John Cleese said that they took a tremendous amount of time to write each of them. They worked on them so closely, and the attention to detail is so good. John has also done an incredible job with this adaptation, creating its own architecture that carries over two hours. That’s what makes it resonate: people respond to really good writing.

There’s something almost primal about the way we react to this kind of humour – it’s something that we carry through generations. You make a really good point about our audiences: at the beginning, our general viewers were older – people that knew the show already and came to see it onstage due to nostalgia. But increasingly, there have been full families coming to watch! And that’s so refreshing! It’s also so funny to see how the youngest members don’t seem too enticed at the beginning, but the moment Manuel is hit with the spoon, they’re onboard.

In the end, farce is universal, and all sorts of people respond to it. I also think that, thematically, people enjoy see how frustrated Basil is at the world.

They seem to relate to him. I’ve even read comments saying that, when you start working on customer service, you start to understand him.

Absolutely! Whatever decade you come from, you can really connect with him. It’s a story of a man against the world, but he’s really the hero – everyone else is the enemy!

As an actor, how have you managed to balance out your own take in the character with John Cleese’s version, in order to avoid an impersonation?

I’ve maintained that idea all through rehearsals as well as throughout the run! I’ve approached Basil just as I would approach any other character: it needs to be truthful, despite its farcical style. For it to work, you need to believe every scene – it can’t be a pantomime, it needs to be credible. For it to be funny, you need to go along with Basil so it’s truthful – otherwise, it would be superficial and it wouldn’t work.

I was very careful not too mimic John. But obviously, there are elements in his performance that you ought to pay tribute to – because they are simply so iconic. I don’t think people would come to see my total reinterpretation of the role if that had nothing to do with John’s, because that would rob them of that nostalgic feeling that they are also coming for.

Such a farcical tone also involves a lot of physical comedy. After 6 months of 8 performances a week, how do you manage to cope with the intensity of the show?

It’s been a learning curve! At the beginning, I didn’t really appreciate how much it was going to be, but it’s turned out to be the most physical thing I’ve ever done! And it’s truly a workout 8 times a week. I sweat so much through my costume! The wonderful team from the wardrobe department put up with all the abuse that I give to my clothes. I try to be sensible: sleep as much as I can and eat well, and all those boring things that you need to do. I used to do marathons, and this show can really compare to them! There are also days when you feel tired and that it’s going to be difficult, but then you get onstage and the audience and colleagues’ feedback keeps you through!

Have you had any bloopers so far that you’d like to share?

Loads! Though I’m pretty good at keeping a clean show in terms of lines. The other day, for example, during the scene when one of the customers asks for directions, I just couldn’t remember the script. I couldn’t do anything else but improvise, and the other actor had a really hard time trying not to laugh his heart out! We’ve also had lots of things with props – the moose head, for instance, has fallen down more than it should; and it’s also not fallen when it needed to… But I must say that, for such a physical show, there haven’t been too many major incidents – which is quite impressive.

Maybe because there are enough ones in the script…

Probably!

If you had to give me one single reason to come see Fawlty Towers – The Play, which one would it be?

If you want to forget about whatever else is going on with your life, and laugh at this man who’s going though the most difficult series of situations, just come to see this wonderful company putting on this very funny show. You can definitely do worse than coming to watch Fawlty Towers.

Production pictures credit to Hugo Glendinning.

Fawlty Towers – The Play plays at London’s Apollo Theatre until 1 March 2025. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara