It does this older critic’s heart good to hear very young people laugh in the theater, and when this mirth simultaneously mingles with laughter from grown-ups, it sounds even lovelier to me.
Plenty of such commingled glee currently abounds at the New Victory Theater, where a smashing stage version of Around the World in 80 Days cheerfully spins away. Aimed for viewers aged seven and up, playwright Laura Eason’s faithful and funny adaptation of Jules Verne’s 1873 adventure yarn packs plenty of entertainment for everyone.
An eight-member company assumes multiple roles in this inventive staging of the Victorian-era saga about Phileas Fogg, a proper and precise English gentleman, who makes a bet that he can travel around the globe in a mere 80 days. Tended by Passepartout, his faithful if often bewildered French manservant, Fogg calmly deals with misadventures as he presses on by train, ship, and elephant, among other forms of 19th century transportation.
Along the way, Fogg is dogged by Inspector Fix, a detective convinced that he’s chasing a bank robber. And not incidentally, Fogg rescues from incineration upon a funeral pyre in India one Mrs. Aouda, who becomes a charming travelling companion.
Director Theresa Heskins imaginatively conjures up this whirlwind journey by deploying a fine ensemble of chameleon actors who, aided by colorful garb and assuming various accents and attitudes, depict multinational multitudes.
They are led by Andrew Pollard as the unflappable Fogg and Michael Hugo as an elfin Passepartout, whose twinkling presence and acrobatic antics endear him especially to younger viewers. It’s nice to watch Kirsten Foster’s gracious Mrs. Aouda melt Fogg’s frosty reserve, while Dennis Herdman’s sly Inspector Fix, whose mangling of Passepartout’s name becomes a running joke, grows so dastardly that his later appearances raise hisses among the audience.
What’s particularly winning about Eason’s smart text and Heskins’ lively production is that they encourage youngsters to use their imaginations, as when several actors, a strategically draped gray blanket, and drumbeats persuasively suggest a lumbering elephant, or during shipboard scenes when the passengers rock back and forth to sometimes comical effect.
Beverley Norris-Edmunds, the movement director, developed impressive physical doings for the actors, especially for several kinetic fight scenes enhanced by superhero-type bing-bang-biff sound effects. Another running gag, which involves the frequent tossing of passports and pound notes among the characters, displays sharp sleight-of-hand work.
Slapstick shenanigans, silent movie-style chases, and native dance gestures further animate the swift two-act proceedings, which Heskins paces beautifully.
Backed by a vintage map of the world, the setting designed by Lis Evans (who also created the vivid quick-change costumes) presents a partial pyramid of suitcases and portmanteaux that suggests staircases and other structures. A variety of transportable set pieces incarnate different locales and vehicles. One that’s probably unfamiliar to most viewers is a prairie schooner that scoots our travelers halfway across America.
By the way, let’s note that a hot air balloon—which memorably appeared in the famous 1956 film version of the story—never appears in Verne’s original, but a tiny homage to it floats into view here.
One could go on detailing how the excellence of Alexandra Stafford’s lighting, James Earls-Davis’ sound, and James Atherton’s savory musical score supports these doings, but let’s just declare that this co-production by several British companies, including the New Vic Staffordshire and the Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester, among others, delivers sterling entertainment for kids and their families.
Let’s hope this terrific show tours around the world forever—and that plenty of kids and their elders enjoy the pleasure of seeing its stopover at the New Victory Theater.
