Around the World in 80 Days
It would be impossible to match onstage the visual spectacle of the 1956 Oscar-winning film version of Around the World in 80 Days. However, Rachel Klein’s thoroughly inventive production of Mark Brown’s five-actor play based on Jules Verne’s globetrotting adventure, now at the New Theater at 45th Street, does quite a lot to measure up to its cinematic predecessor.
Fogg’s stated motive in undertaking this tricky journey is to win an impulsively made bet at his gentlemen’s club. But is it possible that he’s a robber trying to flee England with fifty-five thousand pounds? That’s exactly what the dogged Detective Fix (Stephen Guarino) thinks as he goes in relentless pursuit of Fogg, who is traveling with his newly acquired, less-than-efficient manservant Passepartout (John Gregorio). Eventually, the duo is joined by Auoda (Shirine Babb), a beautiful Indian woman who is about to be killed as a ritual sacrifice until Fogg helps save her from that ghastly fate.
While the show’s plot is faithful to Verne’s famed novel, Brown’s brisk script is full of campy moments that lend the play a kitschy quality. Most of these belong to the hilarious, rubber-limbed Jimmy Ray Bennett, who portrays an almost-dizzying array of secondary characters, including a grizzled sea captain, a stamp-happy consulate officer, and a hard-shooting cowboy. Each role is well-differentiated (although a few have an overly fey quality) and his appearances consistently brighten the proceedings.
Only Ryness has one task, and he does it extremely well, never losing his grip on Fogg’s stiff-upper-lip seriousness no matter how silly the goings-on around him become. It’s an accomplished turn that makes a world of difference in this effective, enjoyable production.