TheatreWorks packs lots of fun in ‘Around the World’
French novelist Jules Verne may be best known for works of proto-science fiction such as “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” One of Verne’s most popular adventure novels, however, relies on no fantastical contrivances, just trains, steamers and other modern modes of transport that made it possible for a particularly dedicated traveler to go, as the title succinctly puts it, “Around the World in 80 Days.”
This 1873 novel has spawned many adaptations, starting with a stage version that Verne himself worked on with playwright Adolphe d’Ennery and that came out the following year. The version that TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is performing at Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theatre, however, is not quite a spoof but a lovingly comedic take on the story by playwright Mark Brown, in which a small ensemble of five actors plays a multitude of characters.
That’s a recipe that’s served TheatreWorks well in previous shows such as “The 39 Steps” and “Hound of the Baskervilles.” Artistic director Robert Kelley, who directed both those productions, helms “Around the World” as well, and two of TheatreWorks’ “Hound” actors, Ron Campbell and Michael Gene Sullivan, return for this one.
The only actor in the cast who plays just a single role, Jason Kuykendall, is comically unflappable as the punctilious Phileas Fogg, who sets off on the titular
voyage at the drop of a hat simply to settle an idle wager at his gentlemen’s club about whether the Earth could now be circumnavigated in 80 days merely in theory or quite readily in practice. “The unforeseen does not exist,” Fogg asserts calmly, assured that whatever complications may arise are entirely accounted for in his timetable.
As Passepartout, Fogg’s cheerful, resourceful and acrobatic French servant,
Tristan Cunningham is as delightfully lively as her employer is impassive. Hounding them across the globe unbeknownst to Fogg is Sullivan’s amusingly blundering but dogged Detective Fix (or, as our heroes know him after he poorly conceals nearly blurting out his job title, Mr. Detecumahfix). Among such lively company, Ajna Jai is relatively bland but amiable as a rescued Indian princess who becomes their traveling companion. Campbell portrays a dizzying array of documentstamping foreign functionaries, crusty sea captains, doddering judges, blustery military men and assorted eccentrics.
Costume designer B. Modern has whipped up an array of colorful period costumes that’s all the more impressive considering how many quick changes the play requires. The generous
mutton chops alone are entertaining from the start. Joe Ragey’s fanciful set replicates the illustrations of an antique French “Around the World in 80 Days” game board from the early 20th century, with tiny scenes arranged in a circle ringing the globe.
The pacing could (and probably will) be tightened a little at times in director Kelley’s staging, but for the most part it’s pleasingly animated. There are a few unfortunate ethnic stereotypes across the way, but mostly in mercifully brief minor roles. On the whole it’s a rollicking tale full of adventure, mishaps, ingenuity and a heaping helping of humor that provides a welcome diversion at the end of a long year.