Bristol Riverside Theater is celebrating its 20th season
with a spectacular production of Mark Brown’s adaptation
of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days.” The
anniversary festivities include an opening night gala
(held Thursday, September 28), and a variety of other
special events – from a theater luncheon at the nearby
historic King George II Inn (held Saturday, September 30)
to a pre-performance “Sail Around the Delaware in 80
Minutes” riverboat ride on the Riverboat Queen of Bucks
County on Saturday, October 7; a “Friday Festival” on
October 6 with crudites, desserts, and a discussion about
the play by the playwright; and “Wine Down Wednesday” on
October 11, with wine and desserts in the lobby before the
show. But the best tribute to the theater is the
production itself.
Verne’s narrative includes adventures on trains and ships
and elephants, but Bristol Riverside has opted for a
bare-bones production that relies on the abilities of five
actors, who work with a few chairs and a table, placed in
front of a backdrop showing a picture of the globe, and
observing all this from the proscenium arch is a portrait
of Queen Victoria. Standard theatrical lighting and some
sound effects are in evidence, and the actors often keep
the audience posted by holding up signs, but there’s no
music, no projections, none of today’s fashionable (and
often distracting) technical resources. What this
production relies on is the theatrical ability, both
verbal and physical, of the actors, and the audience is
thereby drawn much more deeply into the happenings on
stage.
For those who may have missed the story, let me just say
that the action, which takes place in the 1870s, revolves
around a bet, made by Phileas Fogg (Ezra Barnes) at his
London club, that he could travel around the world in 80
days or less.
Nothing goes smoothly on the trip. Among other problems
Fogg has a habit of losing time by acting on principle –
stopping, for example, to rescue a young Indian woman,
Aoudo (Alana Gerlach), from a sacrificial death – so to
keep to the schedule Fogg, his servant Passepartout (Evan
Zes), and Aoudo have some unusual rides. These include
using an ice boat to cross the American prairie; backing
up the train when they come to an unfinished bridge so
they can pick up speed and jump the gulch; and buying the
boat they are traveling on when the fuel runs out so they
can use the furniture, and eventually the deck, to keep
the boilers going full speed. We understand much of what
is going on from the dialogue but the real treat lies in
watching the actors’ body language to see what is
happening.
Barnes, who plays Fogg, is the only actor who does not
have multiple roles. The other four portray a total of 32
characters. Zes, as Passepartout, plays his servant role
with a heady dose of acrobatics and a stage French accent,
which includes the occasional mispronunciation that drives
Detective Fix (Tim Moyer) to distraction. Fix is the not
overly bright detective who accompanies Fogg for most of
his voyage under the mistaken assumption that Fogg is a
bank robber. Gerlach, the only woman in the cast, moves
from being a manservant, a newspaperman, and a priest to
finally settling in as Aoudo.
Moyer is on stage most often as Detective Fix but he is
responsible for seven other roles as well. Kenneth Boys is
the busiest actor; he manages to portray a total of 18
characters.
All the actors are adept at the role and scene changes,
and the audience gets a sense that they are enjoying the
game of rapidly switching place and person. Director
Edward Keith Baker, the company’s artistic director, is to
be thanked for choosing this way of telling the story and
for doing it with such panache. The costumes present a
challenge too. The actors need to be able to make
lightning-fast costume or accessory changes, and Millie
Hiibel has designed the costumes so they can do that. The
bare-bones, and effective, set is designed by A. Nelson
Ruger IV, the lighting by Ryan J. O’Gara. The sound design
was by Daniel A. Little. Most noticeable among Little’s
achievements is a tornado, which enables Fogg to move
faster and make up for time lost to good deeds.
Bristol Riverside Theater has chosen a delightful show to
celebrate an important milestone. Those not familiar with
the theater may not be aware of its close proximity to
Princeton, on the banks of the Delaware River, nor with
the fact that it is housed in a former movie theater. They
will have a treat savoring the building’s configuration
(the stage is large, the auditorium is not), and its
location, with a terrace overlooking the Delaware River
and the streets of historic Bristol.
“Around the World in 80 Days,” through Sunday, October 15,
Bristol Riverside Theater, 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol,
PA. 215-785-0100.
