A super abundance of ingenuity and boundless imagination is at the heart of Jules Verne’s ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ and last week Lower School pupils led by Mrs Cunningham, circled the globe in a hectic 200 minutes!

Portraying over fifty characters the cast launched themselves around the globe with lightening ferocity. Trains, boats, sleds and even elephants were conjured in front of our eyes by the actors and simple, effective props helped audiences to be transported from country to country.

Zac Stewart played the quintessential chivalrous English gentleman with great skill and his slippery valet, Passepartout played by Tom Mc Dowell was the perfect comic sidekick. Zac’s cool Fogg melted in response to the charming and intelligent Mrs Aouda, beautifully portrayed by Lucy Grewer. Henry Hudson’s superb playing of Inspector Fix foxed and fought Tom McDowell’s belligerent, clown-esque Passepartout. Along the way they met all sorts of characters, including the quirky, flamboyant Ms Fotherington played by Phoebe Anderson, who added much humour to various legs of the journey as the adventurers encountered a wonderful display of characters brought to life by the ensemble.

The production exuded visible delight from the audience, as an eclectic mix of slapstick, comedy, acrobatics, dance and riotous resourcefulness burst onto the stage.

The clever set which comprised of trunks, cogs and wheels galore (designed by Steve Ryan, TST Technical Manager), was the perfect backdrop for the race against the clock as the adventurers whizzed through Europe, India, China and America! Exquisite costumes (designed by Cheryl White, Wardrobe Manager) and atmospheric music and lights lit up the stage for an unforgettable and memorable journey.

Editorial courtesy of Mrs Cunningham, Teacher of Drama and Theatre Studies

Click here to view photographs from the production in a Flickr album