An Inside Look at the Zany Comedy of “Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience” Playing Stage 2 at Blume Studios Sept. 26 - Oct. 13

Strap in for dinner and a show like no other when "Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience,"  a zany evening of immersive theater serving up comedy and a full three-course meal, debuts on Stage 2 at the brand-new Blume Studios September 26th – October 13th!

 

Inspired by the iconic 1970s British TV sitcom “Fawlty Towers,” this production, which launched in 2008 has toured around the globe, including 41 different countries. But its fall visit to Charlotte will mark its U.S. debut.

 

The show is a loving tribute to the original TV series, written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, but features its own original scripts and format. It also includes tons of improvisation.

 

Filled with surprises and fun, the cast recreate the series’ legendary hotel restaurant setting and its quirky personnel (that’s Basil, Sybil and Manuel, for the uninitiated) frantically serving dinner to guests — in this case the actual audience — despite an array of trials and tribulations.

 

Team Blumenthal got to see the show last February in London’s West End. We checked in with Vickie Gabbard, wife of Blumenthal’s president and CEO Tom Gabbard, and Bree Stallings, Blumenthal’s Director of Artistic Experiences, to find out firsthand what the experience is like.

 

(Photo from Vickie Gabbard and Bree Stallings' performance of Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience in London's West End)

 

“I think of the word ‘hi-jinks,’” Gabbard says, comparing the frenetic humor to another TV hit of the same era, “The Carol Burnett Show.”

 

“There's quite a bit of improv and it's really, really clever, very witty.”

 

The evening is action-packed with entertainment, she adds.

 

“The time goes by real quickly,” but there’s still time to enjoy the meal and visit with other guests at the table.

 

In London, each table seated up to eight guests. A similar arrangement will be offered at Blume Studios, Blumenthal’s new home for immersive entertainment. The 70s style meal, which will include a vegetarian option, will be catered by Uptown Catering.

 

(Photo from Vickie Gabbard and Bree Stallings' performance of Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience in London's West End)

 

For fans and first-timers

 

The show is perfect both for fans and newbies, Gabbard and Stallings agree.

 

“We sat with this family that was, like, as British as British can be and they were so into it,” Stallings says. “The dad had obviously watched, like, every episode of this show and then… made his kids watch it as they were growing up. And so the kids were kind of, like, delightfully annoyed at it and so it was this sweet family inside joke.”

 

Being with them and witnessing their enthusiasm was lovely, she says, even though she had never seen the original show.

 

 

“It’s still very situationally funny,” Stallings says. “You don’t need any of that context. We still had a blast…. We had these two very different experiences at the same table and it was still a hoot.”

 

For guests who are especially eager to be in on the action, special VIP tickets are available. A VIP ticket includes a seat at the reserved VIP table, special interaction with the trio of actors, and a welcome glass of bubbly.

 

But Gabbard says even non-VIP guest tables will get their moment in the spotlight. “Every table gets attention throughout the show,” she says. “...Everybody gets a chance to interact with the actors.”

 

 

Stallings says sometimes the performers are even on top of the tables!

 

“You’re dodging rolls with your head,” she says with a laugh. “It’s very physical. It’s very engaging [but] you still get enough time to eat and be with your folks.”

 

“Normally, stuff like that would maybe intimidate me or stress me out a little bit but I thought it was delightful and fun,” Stallings says about the audience interaction and improvisational elements.

 

“I think it’s right in that nice, sweet spot for a lot of audience members.”