What an adventure lies in store for the audience of Laura Eason’s adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days.

As we joined Phileas Fogg (played by Andrew Pollard) on his journey around the world for a £20,000 bet we were treated to a marvelous adventure of elephant rides, ocean crossings and a rather fun acrobatic circus act. The play is well written, funny and energetic. Although written with a young audience in mind, I‘ll go ahead and admit I was laughing from start to finish. The slapstick action and well-timed gags ensured laughs throughout. As with any show aimed at a young crowd there was the obligatory use of audience participation and even this was carried out in a smart and funny manner.

Fogg’s assistant, Passepartout, played by Michael Hugo, garnered the most laughs of the evening as he got entangled into a variety of mishaps. The rest of the cast also put in marvellous performances undertaking some 125 characters amongst the cast of 8.

Cadogan Hall, as a venue, certainly added an atmospheric touch to the play though at some points hampered the acoustics as it was hard to decipher the dialogue at the back at some points.

Overall the play was splendid. A fun watch for children and plenty for the adults to enjoy too!

The production is now on tour. To find dates near you and book tickets go to http://80dayslive.com/