Review: Around the World in 80 Days at Crewe Lyceum*

[Ad-gifted] What to do during the half-term school holidays you say?

Well, we headed to Crewe Lyceum Theatre in Cheshire to watch Tilted Wig‘s adaptation of the famous Jules Verne’s iconic story Around the World in 80 Days and were utterly blown away from the set to the talent.  

The play started with an introduction to the cast and to Nellie Bly (played by Katriona Brown), an inspirational real-life female American journalist who travelled Around the World in just Seventy-Two Days.  She would appear intermittently along side Phileas Fogg’s travel to compare and share her perspective of what she experienced to the audience.

The audience were then transported to 1872 where we found ourselves in the Reform Club in London, where Phileas Fogg (played by Alex Phelps) is a wealthy stiff-upper-lipped English gentleman, is challenged by his friends to travel the world in just eighty days exactly.   Fogg armed with his new butler/travel partner,  Jean Passepartout (played by Wilson Benedito) take on the challenge. Fogg accepts a wager for £20,000, half of his fortune and sets off that evening.   Along the way, they rescue Princess Aouda from India (played by Genevieve Sabherwal) from being cremated alive with her dead husband.

Their journey is perilous and filled with delays and to add to the mix, they soon have Detective Fix (played by Eddie Mann) hot on their heels as Fogg fits the description of the robber, which Scotland Yard is looking for. Will Detective Fix scupper their plans and stop Fogg from arriving back in London in 80 days as he predicted?

What did I think of Around The World in 80 Days?

Directed by Juliet Forster, this thrilling brand-new adaptation of Jules Verne’s iconic story is a must watch!   The cast were made up of just five actors, but what a cast it was! They embraced each character and turned into rag-tag band of travelling circus performers and took us on an educational adventure around the globe.  It was joyous to see children being mesmerised by the different countries and enjoying the silly jokes and slapstick comedy.  You could hear laughter from children as young as five to older grandparents.

What made the show stand out was its cleaver use of props and stage sets (designed by Sara Perks) such as the use of trap doors, see-saw, suitcases and the ability of the cast to use props get the crowd’s imagination wild as they travelled on boats, trains, carriages and an elephant.  There was also the clever use of a scroll, which changed each time they moved from one country to the next, so the audience would know which country Fogg was at.

I loved how Alex Phelps captivated the audience with his portrayal of Phileas Fogg, an Englishman with mathematical precision, yet there is so much humour and likeability about him.  Katriona Brown was just skilful at being able to get into character almost immediately from being the American, Nellie Bly to being the puppeteer. Her transformation into an Elephant made the crowd go ‘oooh’ and ‘ahh’.

Genevieve Sabherwal was such a sweetheart, the crowd fell in love with her animated performance, her Indian accent, dance moves and her portrayal of Aouda.  The crowd favourite was Wilson Benedito whose French accent wooed the ladies  while his funny antics captivated the children.  Last but not least, Eddie Mann played the cheeky Detective Fix and was quite the character.  His talent in playing musical instruments drew the crowd even more into the moment.

Each of the cast brought uniqueness to the performance and at times you could see them breathless but the crowd wanted more!  I could tell that the actors must have rehearsed tirelessly, memorising their lines (and improvising as they went along).

Heading to the theatre, I was wondering if the storyline from the book would be changed to fit our current mindset  and to correct all the historical inaccuracy as well as to show equality and it did!  The cleaver inclusion of the female traveller Nellie Bly made the show entertaining and exciting to the very end.  There were some slight issue with the sound at times but otherwise I would recommend taking the whole family to watch this show. Oh and don’t forget to get yourself a copy of the programme, where you will find lots of facts about the history of the production, Jules Verne as well as Nelly Bly.

Cast Details

Alex Phelps – The Ringmaster/Phileas Fogg
Katriona Brown – Nellie Bly (Acrobat, Actor and Puppeteer)
Genevieve Sabherwal – The Trick Rider/Aouda
Wilson Benedito – The Clown/Passepartout
Eddie Mann – The Knife Thrower/Detective Fix 

Creative Team

Juliet Forster – Adaptor & Director
Sara Perks – Designer
Alexander Stafford – Lighting Designer
Edwin Gray – Sound Designer
Asha Jennings-Grant – Movement Director
Jonathan Holby – Fight Director
Yvonne Morley – Voice Coach
Jen Parry – Circus Consultant

How much do the tickets cost?

Tickets are priced from £18 to £25.

How do I book tickets to watch Around the World in 80 Days?

Tickets can be booked by calling the box office at 0343 310 0050 or by visiting Crewe Lyceum’s website here.  This production is suitable for ages 5+ 

How long is the show for and what are the timings?

The show will be running until Sunday, 26 February 2023.  Evening shows will be on at 7pm (Friday & Saturday) and there will be performances at 1pm on the Saturday and 3pm on Sunday.  Show is around 2 hours and 10 minutes (including interval). Please see Crewe Lyceum Theatre’s website for full details.

Where is Crewe Lyceum Theatre?

The Crewe Lyceum is Cheshire’s historic Edwardian theatre and a Trafalgar Entertainment venue. Established in 1911, the theatre has been thrilling and delighting audiences with the best of drama, comedy, variety and more for over a century – and counting. Every year more than 23,000 theatregoers attend the annual Crewe Lyceum pantomime, and audiences shouldn’t wait to secure their seats for Cheshire’s favourite family pantomime. 

You may want to read this:

Review: Sleeping Beauty at Crewe Lyceum Theatre

Review: Peter Pan the High-Flying Pantomime Adventure at Crewe Lyceum

Review: Tom Seals – The 45s Tour at Crewe Lyceum Theatre

Photo credit: Crewe Lyceum Theatre/Anthony Robling

* We were provided with press tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions are our own.