Around the World in 80 Days

There is a distinct difference between children’s and family entertainment. Children’s entertainment is just that: something geared towards kids.

There may be a few winks and nudges to the adults, just to make the experience more palatable, but the target audience is a set age group. On the other hand, family entertainment has a general spectrum and is meant to be enjoyed by all.

Cumbernauld Theatre’s production of Around the World in 80 Days in an excellent example of ‘family entertainment’. It is a very enjoyable experience that has enough wit and intelligence for adults yet contains plenty of buffoonery for younger people; it is also filled with constant creativity that should amuse everyone.

For the uninitiated, 80 Days was written by Jules Verne, arguably one of the world’s greatest creative minds. The action follows the adventures of English gentleman Phileas Fogg and his faithful manservant Passepartout. It is 1872 (a fact the cast amusingly get wrong in the beginning), and Fogg wagers that it is possible to circle the world in the timeframe of the title.

What follows is an amusing adventure as Fogg and Passepartout race against the clock, all the while being chased by Detective Fix, who believes Fogg is actually on the run for robbing the Bank of England.

Artistic director Ed Robson has managed to create a fun-filled production. The design is simple yet effective, and he has four actors who are game for just about anything. The cast, Johnny Austin as Fogg, James McAnnerney as Passpartout, Darran Lightbody and Fix and Imogen Toner as the rescued Princess Aouda, are full of energy and good humour. The audience have fun because they are having fun.

Lightbody and Toner may have the more difficult roles by having to play the rather large ensemble of characters, but it is McAnnerney’s comedic timing that gives the production many of its funniest moments. Austin’s Fogg is also a great creation, a character that could have easily come across as pompous but is instead warm and good-natured.

Is it a perfect production? No. Some of the timing seemed a little off in the performance I saw, and there were noticeable lighting problems between moments that were too dark and times when the actors annoyingly stood just outside of a lit spot. 80 Days is also a very large story, and though the production is constantly engaging and cleverly executed, there are times when the grandness is missed.

But no matter; this is still a very good production. It is respectful of the original work while being full of creative theatrical moments, and performed by a very solid ensemble.