Rehearsals begin for ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ which is first production at Theatre Royal following Covid-19 closure

Rehearsals began this week for the production of Jules Verne’s classic adventure story “Around the World in Eighty Days” which is being staged at the fully reopened Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds following the Covid-19 lockdown.

This story of an English gentleman accused of robbery who makes a wager to go around the world in 80 days features gags, character changes and actors running all over the place.

Toby Hulse’s adaptation of the comic adventure takes the hilarity of the original novel to new heights, reducing the cast to just three actors, and transporting the audience to locations all over the globe, even though the set remains minimal.

First published serially in 1872 and then as a novel in 1873, this period saw breakthroughs that opened up the possibility of speedy, comfortable and safe travel across the globe: the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad in America, the linking of the Indian railways across the sub-continent, and the opening of the Suez Canal.

These breakthroughs brought the dreams of everyday people being able to travel the world a reality, something only previously done by experienced and hardy adventurers.

Verne’s farce was one of the most widely-read novels of the 19th century, garnering him worldwide renown, and remaining to be a popular title, even today.

“Around the World in Eighty Days” is taking place from Friday to Saturday, May 21 to June 5, and tickets are now on sale at www.theatreroyal.org