Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours

Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (Around the World in 80 Days) is a French novel by Jules Verne (1828-1905)[1]

The novel

One of Verne's most acclaimed works, the novel tells the story of Phileas Fogg of London who, with his newly employed French valet Passepartout, attempts to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a wager of £20,000 set by his friends at the Reform Club.

First published in French as a serial in 1872, and then as a book on 30 January 1873 and first translated into English

Translations and adaptations

Like many of Vernes books (novels, plays, short stories, autobiographical accounts, poetry, songs and scientific, artistic and literary studies), Around the World in 80 Days has been adapted for the stage, film and television and comic books.

Some stage versions

Verne himself wrote a stage version in 1874, with Adolphe Dennery. Since then there have been a number of versions, including:

Orson Welles's 1946 musical version, with a book by Orson Welles and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The expensive musical extravaganza opened on Broadway in May 1946 but closed after 75 performances[2].

A stage musical version[[3]] written by Sig Herzig [4], with lyrics by Harold Adamson and Sammy Fain and music by Victor Young [5]

In 2001, a version by Mark Brown[6] had its first production at the Shakespearean Festival, Utah, then went on to be produced all over the world (including South Africa). The text was first published by Dramatic Publishing in 2007[7].

Another musical version, with book and lyrics by Chris Blackwood and music by Piers Chater Robinson[8], premiered in November 2013. Since its publication, it has been performed in the UK, USA, Denmark, The Netherlands, India, South Africa, Singapore and Spain.[9]

Film versions

Besides a number of French versions, English film versions of the story have included:

Possibly the best known internationally has been Michael Todd's 1956 epic film starring David Niven, Cantinflas and Shirley Maclean in one of the most expensive movies ever made. Directed by Michael Anderson, the film won five Oscars, including Academy Award for Best Picture

A 1989 three-part television mini-series by Buzz Kulik featured Pierce Brosnan, Eric Idle and Peter Ustinov.[10]

In 2004 an American action adventure comedy was made, starring Jackie Chan ("Passepartout"), Steve Coogan ("Phileas Fogg") and Cécile de France, [11]

In 2021 the BBC made an eight part TV series, with David Tennant as "Phileas Fogg" and Ibrahim Koma as "Passepartout"[12]. Shot in South Africa and Romania[13], the BBC series features a few South African performers and crew members, including Nicholas Ellenbogen, Susan Danford, Nicky Rebelo, Sean Cameron Michael, Hein de Vries, Birrie le Roux.

Performance history in South Africa

1966: The Sig Herzig musical was produced by the Johannesburg Operatic and Dramatic Society (JODS) at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, directed and designed by Anthony Farmer, starring John Boulter and English actor Jack Tripp. Choreography was by Wendy de la Harpe and musical direction by Bob Adams, with Aubrey Louw assisting. The rights had been secured for JODS by Tom Arnold and Pat Bray.

2006: Pieter Toerien presented the stage version at the Montecasino theatre, directed by Alan Swerdlow, starring Graham Hopkins, Gavin van den Berg, Theo Landey, Greg Homann and Johan Baird,

2014: The Blackwood and Robinson musical version performed 8-9 August at the Drama Buzz.Inc, Westgate, Roodepoort[14]. nligting oor Drama Buzz.Inc In 2009, Drama Buzz's director, Felicity Britz, decided to start a drama group for homeschool families to give her own children and those of other families the opportunity to act on stage. From the first year onwards, Drama Buzz has put on one musical with a cast from age 10 to 18 years of age. Many of the cast have many years of experience, and 5 years ago, the group moved to performing in the Roodepoort Theatre. Our annual production is a full length musical aimed at the entire family. Hope to see you at this year's show.