Based on Jules Verne’s much-loved novel of the same name, Around the World in 80 Days follows Phileas Fogg, an uptight explorer who bets he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days and arrive back in London in time for Christmas. With the help of his French manservant Passepartout, and accompanied by an exiled Indian Princess named Aouda, Fogg sets off on his quest, but hot on their tale is the dastardly big game hunter Captain Fix, who bet against Fogg and is determined to see that he comes out on top.
Phil Willmott and Annemarie Lewis-Thomas’ Around the World in 80 Days is a funny old musical, which packs loads of adventure into the plot, but still ambles slightly at times. Nevertheless, Brendan Matthew’s sleek direction must be applauded, as for the most part this production rumbles along at a steady pace despite multiple distractions.
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| The cast of Around the World in 80 Days Photo credit - Mark Senior |
A gigantic cast bustle on the petite stage of the Union Theatre, filling every corner with life, whilst managing not to cramp up the miniscule space. Sam Peggs nails Fogg’s overtly English eccentricities, and Connor Hughes brings a lovable twinkle to Passepartout, despite the fact that Passepartout’s actions get rather grating as he constantly winds up in trouble at every turn. Robert Oliver is a domineering presence as Fix, and has a streak of unhinged terror running through his gleefully hammy performance.
Justin Williams and Jonny Rust’s simple but effective set design aids the maximisation of the stage, using the Union Theatre’s bare bones aesthetic as the basis for a stage full of surprising, inventive set pieces. The infamous hot air balloon, for example, although scarcely seen in the musical (and in the original source material, for that matter), is inventively conjured out of umbrellas, with an open book flapping birdlike around the heads of the balloon's passengers.
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| The cast of Around the World in 80 Days Photo credit - Mark Senior |
The musical’s book also lets itself down slightly at times. The story may be viewed mostly through the eyes of Fogg and Passepartout, a pair of uptight westerners from the 1870s, but the exoticising of several counties and the mystifying of certain cultures feels a little bit regressive in 2018, and along those lines Passepartout’s visit to a Hong Kong opium den is a bit wince inducing. Additionally, with innuendos galore, it’s a segment of the musical which will no doubt alienate younger audience members, who’d much rather see Fogg and co. ride a music loving elephant for a few more minutes.
The book muddles even further with the introduction of a very rushed romance, which is jumped on the audience midway through act 2. Fogg’s an old fashioned, stiff-upper-lipped gentleman, whilst Princess Aouda is a free spirited, modern woman, so of course they have to fall in love. It’s practically musical comedy law. But that doesn’t make it any less nonsensical. Sam Peggs and Jasmin Minjoot do sell the love hate relationship well though, especially in their duet What Do I Love, which is mediated by Ceris Hine as their hilariously oblivious matchmaker.
All in all, Around the World In 80 Days is a delightfully zany, if meandering, musical comedy. With a committed cast and catchy upbeat tunes aplenty, it is a fine piece of family entertainment, despite its flaws.
