Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney John Cleese’s production looks and sounds almost exactly like it did on TV, but it would be cheaper – and probably more fulfilling – to rewatch episodes at home

With storylines, dialogues and physical gags cannibalised from the beloved 1970s TV show, Fawlty Towers Live is little more than a sophisticated form of merchandise – a commercialised machine raking in dollars with its high ticket prices and the opportunity to buy a branded bathrobe ($80) at interval.

John Cleese and director Caroline Jay Ranger (Monty Python Live at the O2) have taken three Fawlty Towers episodes and reworked them for the stage: series one’s The Hotel Inspectors and The Germans, and series two’s Communication Problems. They are woven together – quite solidly – into one story, using so much dialogue and structure and conversation from the original series that a writing credit for the show is also given to Cleese’s writing partner and fellow actor on the show, Connie Booth, to whom he was once married. A few elements from other episodes – like Easter eggs for fans – crop up during the course of the mayhem.

It’s the elements of Communication Problems that work best on stage, earning the most laughs as Mrs Richards (the wonderful Deborah Kennedy) harangues Basil Fawlty (Stephen Hall), Polly (Aimee Horne) and the rest of the staff for a litany of reasons while refusing to turn on her hearing aid. This plot seems like the true heart of the action, even as hotel inspectors lurk in the background throughout and, as their anticipated German guests arrive, Basil cautions his staff not to mention the war.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Exemplary cast: Polly (Aimee Horne) and Manuel (Syd Brisbane) star in the world premiere of Fawlty Towers Live. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images

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The cast are exemplary, proven early in to be impressive impressionists. Hall has the herculean task of bringing the difficult, explosive Basil Fawlty to life, and his unflagging energy is remarkable; he feels like Cleese and rages like Cleese, and keeps the comic melodrama moving at a brisk clip.

Sybil (Blazey Best) is reliably polished, leaning into Sybil’s catchphrases (“I know”) with palpable pleasure. Horne’s Polly is so like Connie Booth it’s both comforting and eerie. And Syd Brisbane’s Manuel captures his eagerness and unfortunate ineptitude with genuine warmth – although all the violence and disparagement he receives really isn’t funny any more.

But for the most part, the production is such an “uncanny valley” adaptation from screen to stage that it feels largely pointless, and almost boring (especially if the Fawlty material is still fresh in mind – it’s hard to escape the feeling that we’ve all been here before). New material for the stage is perhaps a riskier proposition, but would have been more exciting for the audience: a new Fawlty story, unavailable anywhere else? That’s something special. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child this is not.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest John Cleese (second from left) on stage with members of the Fawlty Towers Live cast after their opening night at Sydney’s Rosyln Packer Theatre. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images

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As a dramatic work, there’s nothing special about it – scenic transitions and sound design are clumsy, and there isn’t much dynamism in the way the space is used. Everything looks and sounds almost exactly like it did on television, which is exactly what the production set out to achieve. No one can accuse it of failing in its mission to bring the show to the stage, live.

However it would be cheaper – and probably more fulfilling – to just stay at home and revisit the old episodes on DVD or a streaming service. There’s nothing new or exciting enough to make a compelling case for Fawlty Towers as a play.