AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Previews

Has anyone seen it yet? I've noticed the street team in TSQ and am kind of intrigued by the production

80 DAYS Official Website

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I haven't seen it yet, but I hope to see it soon. It's at the top of my summer list of shows to see!

Well I ended up seeing this one. Let me first start off by talking about the theatre (New Theater at 45th St). This is a venue that I have walked by countless times and never thought much of it. Apparently the first time producer of this show (Cedric Yau) renovated the theatre himself and now it is officially an Off-Broadway house. You can definitely see that some money was put into this endeavor. I never thought a show at that venue would have subway and phone booth advertising much less a fully-costumed street team.

That being said, I'm not sure this will show him the money back. The show itself is fast paced to its detriment. There is no real sense of where the action is taking place because the stage is small and props (2 trunks) are used to establish the setting. This isn't always successful. There are some cool tricks done to give spectacle to the proceedings but you kind of have to ask yourself why.

The real standouts here are the trio of men that play the majority of the characters (Stephen Guarino, Jimmy Ray Bennett and John Gregorio). They inject a much needed sense of fun into the proceedings that helps keep the script from lethargy. Bryce Ryness is serviceable as Phileas Fogg but playing the straight man to this cast of characters makes it more difficult for him to create much of an impact. The love story that happens towards the end doesn't work for me and I'm not sure if that fault lies with the actors or the script.

When finding something to compare this to my first thought was THE 39 STEPS with the large cast of characters being played by only a handful. The problem here is that is done without much humor in the script so you're left with what boils down to an elevated kids show. I was looking for more adult humor and farce which wasn't exactly there.

I would recommend seeing the show just to check out the venue and see what these guys are giving the audience. Has anyone been to a production there before? I'm interested to get your thoughts on what it was like pre-80 DAYS.

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Bryce Ryness was just announced joining the FIRST DATE cast. Something tells me this show isn't going to be around too long since that starts previews 7/9. Seems weird to go from one flop to another but I guess one is a flop on Broadway at least.

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They're recasting. He's leaving just shy of his original contract.

This is the old "45th St Theater" where Primary Stages used to be, before it moved to 59 East 59 Street Theaters. It was a 99 seat theater on the south side of 45th, between 8th and 9th, but closer to 9th Ave.

I strongly disliked both Peter & the Starcatcher and The 39 Steps, so I'll be passing on this show. (As an aside, go see Ensemble Studio Theater's Marathon C - tickets are just $10 for the next couple of days and it's hilarious & very well acted. You'll never think of a tampon the same way again! And in another short, you'll enjoy the interactions between the meddling doorman and the 32-year-old resident who keeps causing trouble.)