An Evening with the Legendary John Cleese

For the first time ever, comedy legend and the most senile member of Monty Python will be bringing his 'Alimony Tour' to the UK. Best known for his idiosyncratic turns in Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers John Cleese will bring his unique comedic perspective to audiences across the UK. Read more …

From writing to starring in plays, musicals, theatrical and comedy productions, to films and sitcoms, Cleese has done it all, and now it’s time for him to tell you about his jam-packed life.

Cleese says 'it is an evening of well honed anecdotes, psychoanalytical tit-bits, details of recent surgical procedures, and unprovoked attacks on former colleagues, especially Michael Palin.'

The critical consensus

There are enough insider titbits, especially about the genesis of Fawlty Towers, and just enough Python clips - including the fish-slap dance but not, alas, the Parrot sketch - for one to depart feeling grateful rather than short-changed. Which is more than can be said, on the marital front, for the cheesed-off Mr Cleese.

(*) Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph, 05/05/2011

What would the young David Frost and co. have made of John Cleese as he is today? I suspect they would have fondly ragged him rotten. They would have teased him for being a snowy-domed buffer who, having made and lost millions, now wants to be revered and pitied. It all seems a very long way from the Ministry of Silly Walks.

Quentin Letts, Daily Mail, 05/05/2011

The live shows planned between now and the end of June may not have the kudos of the Hollywood Bowl where Cleese and his fellow Pythons once played, but that was 30 years ago now and, with so few live performances in between time, one wonders if Cleese's former spouse has done his fans a favour. Would he have made this live foray without her?

(*) (*) Julian Hall, The Independent, 05/05/2011

It's a nostalgic evening rather than an especially comical one. While Cleese may be now relatively short on dollars, in showbiz memories he's still a rich man.

(*) (*) Brian Logan, The Guardian, 06/05/2011

If at times the show comes across as the comedy legend slapping himself on the back for past glories, sitting watching him look back over his career, you can’t help thinking he’s earned it.

Alan Chadwick, STV, 07/06/2011

Although he offers no earth-shattering insight into the cognitive processes, it's still immensely satisfying to hear a comic legend reiterate that comedians retain a firmer grasp of what's funny than television executives and commissioners.

(*) (*) Jay Richardson, The Scotsman, 07/06/2011