But you still need to activate your account.
You own a hotel and one of the guests checked out – of life – overnight.
What to do?
Blame it on the kippers and stuff the corpse in the closet, natch.
You could call it “Fawlty” logic. But the actors at Ten Bucks Theatre have another way of describing it: classic comedy.
“We do Shakespeare – 500 years later we’re still doing Shakespeare,” said Julie Lisnet, one of the co-directors of “Fawlty Towers meets Monty Python, Part Duh (This Time It’s Personal),” which runs through Feb. 10 at The Next Generation Theater in Brewer. “I think 300 years from now, they’ll still be doing [‘Fawlty Towers’ and ‘Monty Python’] because this stuff is so great.”
The lineup includes two episodes of “Fawlty Towers” – “The Kipper and the Corpse” and “The Germans,” – and two Monty Python skits.
Ten Bucks’ first rendition of the legendary British television series, written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, was the most successful show in the ensemble troupe’s eight-year history. So it’s only fitting that Ten Bucks chose an evening of raucous comedy at this time of transition.
For starters, this is the first show in Ten Bucks’ new home, The Next Generation Theater at Between Friends Gift Shop and Art Center, an intimate new performance space in Brewer.
“Where they have a new endeavor here, we wanted to choose a show that would bring new people into this space to see it, so they’ll know what’s here,” Lisnet said.
This is not just a pivotal time for the art center, but for Ten Bucks, as well. Several of the group’s most active members have moved in recent years, and the remaining actors want to add to the ensemble.
“We’re always on the lookout for people who like to be involved in this type of production, who like to be involved in this type of group,” said co-director John Greenman, who plays The Major. “You need a certain number. You need a critical mass to do all the things you need to get done.”
Katie Toole is one of the people who gets things done. As the costume designer, she has met the demands of “Fawlty Towers” and “Monty Python” head-on. Or Velcro on, as the case may be. Because the script of “Fawlty” was originally written for television, it calls for quick changes – hence the Velcro. And because both productions originally took place in the 1970s, there’s a lot of flowing polyester on set.
“What’s really amazed me is the amount of delight that people have found in their get-ups,” Toole said.
The actors have also found delight in the production’s special effects. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say, “Fawlty Towers” features surprises that will make you laugh, cry and, perhaps, gasp.
“In 25 years of doing theater, there are four elements that I’ve never been exposed to before – well, onstage anyway,” said the third co-director, Arthur Morison.
An element of the unknown is a good thing. The challenge of performing cult classics such as “Fawlty Towers” and “Monty Python” lies in the fact that everyone in the audience has already seen them – and memorized them.
“Everyone comes with a preconceived notion of what it is; there’s a huge roadblock that says, ‘You will not be as good as that show,'” said Morison.
He should know. When he moved to Maine, his first experience with Ten Bucks was as an audience member in their last presentation of “Fawlty.” And his expectations weren’t particularly high.
“What was so wonderfully surprising to me was how much fun it was,” he said. “They really pulled it off.”
“I think the key is not to try and reinvent a wheel so perfect and so well-known, it’s to honor it,” said Lisnet, who plays Sybil to her real-life husband’s Basil (Ron Lisnet). “The beauty of these scripts is they are so perfect that there really is only one right way to play it.”
In this case the right way is rollicking, a tad raunchy and completely un-politically correct. In other words, perfectly “Fawlty.”
BETWEEN FRIENDS ART CENTER… AT A GLANCE
It may be part gift shop, part theater and part dance studio, but Between Friends is all about artistry.
“This place is really for actors, dancers and artists,” said owner Tracey Marceron, who along with her daughters opened the center last summer as an affordable place for youth and adults to discover the arts. “The avenue I’m taking is to encourage others to be creative, and I show them the steps.”
Offerings include the wildly popular salsa, tangor and Irish step dancing classes, which range in price from $5 to $7 per session, along with an upcoming children’s production of “Seussical.” Donations of time, costumes and money – the center provides scholarships for those who can’t afford classes or camps – are welcome.
For information, call 989-7100.
Ten Bucks Theatre
What: “Fawlty Towers meets Monty Python, Part Duh (This Time It’s Personal)”
When: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 2, Feb. 7-9; 2 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 3 and 10.
Where: The Next Generation Theater at Between Friends Gift Shop & Art Center, 39 Center St., Brewer
Tickets: $10, $5 for students
Call: 884-1030 or 989-7100
Note: The box office opens a half-hour before show time and accepts cash or checks only. Space is limited.
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