Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
Look Back In Anger. Pic: John Marmaras
Fawlty
Fawlty Towers Live. Pic: James Morgan
Towers Live Theatre Roslyn Packer Theatre to 18 Sep
Look Back In Anger Theatre Old Fitz Theatre to 10 Sep
★★★★ Claustrophobia is an emotion that theatre has a unique power to inspire. Directors Lizzie Schebesta and Damien Ryan have created a stunning space under the Old Fitzroy Hotel — an apartment interior becomes an artistic foreshortening. The audience is the apartment’s fourth wall, cramped and too close to the too real toxicity of the trio who live there. Look Back In Anger follows the tribulations of Jimmy (Andrew Henry), his wife Alison (Melissa Bonne) and Cliff (Robin Goldsworthy) as they try to get along with their daily lives without money or social tact. Jimmy’s destructive narcissism is the driving force of the very human breakdown to which the audience bears witness. John Osborne’s show is an ode to human imperfection but it’s gritty and unclean, a harsh ode that doesn’t idealise. While each actor has an energy that is a pleasure to watch, the subtle performance given by Goldsworthy deserves its own accolades. A diminutive Welshman in love with his friend’s wife and beleaguered by his own circumstance, Goldsworthy’s performance is one of extraordinary pathos. He is an unlikely but welcome pillar to the show’s success. The only criticism worth giving is in regards to the play’s relevance. Look Back In Anger rocked audiences 60 years ago but the script doesn’t pack the same punch. Its rust shows, but in spite of that rust it is still a stellar experience. For a riveting journey and great stagecraft, see Look Back In Anger. The Old Fitz continues to please in its impressive 2016 season. Sean Maroney
42 • THE MUSIC • 24TH AUGUST 2016
★★★★ Fawlty Towers has been reborn, 40 years after it first aired on BBC2. Fawlty Towers Live is a collection of the very best parts of the original 12-part series, distilled down and weaved together into an uproarious twohour performance adapted by John Cleese himself. If you’ve ever watched the series or come across any of Monty Python’s works, you’ll know what you’re in for. There’s sharp British humour, memorable
characters preying on timeless sitcom stereotypes, and expert physicality as the characters scurry around managing what is probably the worst hotel in Britain. The cast is perfect. Stephen Hall channels John Cleese to an almost eerie extent as the hopeless, grandstanding proprietor Basil Fawlty, while Blazey Best excels as Sybil Fawlty, his critical, appearance-obsessed wife. Mixed in among the absurd string of guests are Syd Brisbane as faithful bellhop Manuel, who’s from Barcelona and doesn’t speak much English, much to Basil’s chagrin. Director Caroline Jay Ranger has done an incredible job taking what is basically a string of unconnected, episodic incidents and bringing them together to form a cohesive narrative, set on a stage encompassing all the second-rate interior spaces from the original. Whether you’re a returning fan, a John Cleese enthusiast, or merely out for a laugh, Fawlty Towers Live offers an unforgettable and endlessly hilarious night. Sam Baran