Around The World in 80 Days – Hull Truck Theatre

Note to self: Be sure to wear waterproof mascara when you next review anything at Hull Truck Theatre in case it turns out to be as funny as Around The World In 80 Days was on Tuesday evening.

Having never read the Jules Verne novel, first published in French in1872, all I knew was that a hot air balloon was involved in one man’s endeavour to travel around the globe in 80 days.

The intrepid adventurer, a Mr Phileas Fogg (Stefan Adegbola) accepted a wager of £20,000 with fellow Reform Club members, that he could undertake such a journey.

That sum is half of Fogg’s fortune, but he leads such a monotonous life in London – his daily habits being carried out with mathematical precision – the thought of such a journey excites him.

Having fired his valet for some minor misdeed, he employs Frenchman Jean Passepartout (Miriam O’Brien) and the day after the bet, they duly set off from Dover by boat to Calais.

However, around this time a daring thief steals £55,000 from the Bank of England – a huge sum in 1872. Scotland Yard’s Inspector Fix (Dyfrig Morris), suspects Fogg of the theft and decides to follow him around the world, in order to bring him to justice.

What follows is a breathtaking and hilarious adventure, brought to life by eight multi-talented performers whose exuberance knew no bounds.

They were aided and abetted by the most imaginative stage setting and props cleverly depicting steamships, trains, an elephant, a hot air balloon, sledge and goodness knows what else.

Describing them as props does them a huge injustice – the elephant alone was a magnificent creation, as was the hot air balloon.

The circular stage depicted the globe; the moving outer edge cleverly giving the illusion of trains, boats etc moving.

Atmospheric lighting was a constant – dark one minute, bright the next interspersed with flashes of lightning.

Mist rolling in, ships’ foghorns sounding, wind howling, the sound of waves crashing and a “fire” were just a few of the effects keeping us in the well-attended theatre entertained.

And the accompanying music – an integral part of proceedings – segued seamlessly into any event taking place on stage. I must also mention the superb costumes, from Fogg’s tailored suit, to hilarious red and white circus costumes.

But all this would have been nothing without the aforementioned super talents, three of whom I’ve already mentioned. The others – Tricia Adele-Turner, Purvi Parmar, Nicholas Prasad, Niall Ransome and Saba Shiraz – all played multiple roles (as did O’Brien and Morris) too numerous to mention. The “French” accent of O’Brien, as Passepartout, never wavered for one second. Fantastique!

All eight sang in tune, danced, fought and engaged in slapstick-type antics with perfect comic timing; and all speaking voices were loud and clear.

As I hinted at the start of this review, I was crying with laughter at this group’s shenanigans. The American circus scene was the funniest I’ve witnessed in any theatre in many a year, if ever. Amidst all this madcap mayhem, romance manages to blossom.

But did Fogg win the wager? It was well worth sitting through over two hours of rip-roaring action to find out.

Running until Saturday, May 20, 2023; 7.30pm nightly with 2pm matinees on 10th, 13th, 17th and 20th May. Tickets cost from £10. Call (01482) 323638 or visit www.hulltruck.co.uk

Recommended age 6+

Reviewer: Jackie Foottit

Reviewed: 9th May 2023

North West End UK Rating: