Wheaton actor stars in 'Around the World in 80 Days'
Fox Valley Repertory is ready for a summer of stampeding elephants, raging typhoons and bandits, as they continue their inaugural season with the classic adventure novel and famous 1950s blockbuster film "Around the World in 80 Days."
Directed by Fox Valley Rep Artistic Director and Wheaton native John Gawlik and featuring Wheaton actor Brian Hamman, performances will take place at the Pheasant Run Resort Mainstage and is in collaboration with the inaugural St. Charles Summer Theater Fest in July.
Wheaton actor Brian Hamman plays fearless adventurer Phileas Fogg and is joined by his faithful manservant, Passepartout (Matthew Sherbach), as they race to beat the clock! Fogg has agreed to an outrageous wager that puts his fortune and his life at risk.
Together with his servant, Fogg sets out to circle the globe in an unheard-of 80 days. But his every step is dogged by a detective who thinks he's a robber on the run. Danger, romance, and comic surprises abound in this whirlwind of a show with five actors portraying 39 characters in several continents.
“The cast of five brings this wonderful story to life and everyone besides myself plays multiple characters each one played with wonderful vibrancy and a glorious sense of play,” says Hamman. “And this show is quite magical in great part due to Director John Gawlik's concept.”
“Jules Verne's books inspired generations of both children and adults to see the potential all around them, so we've added a role of a young boy with permission from playwright Mark Brown,” says Director John Gawlik. “The story itself is a dream, which will all take place in the boy's bedroom – a place where stampeding elephants, raging typhoons, and 39 characters come alive.”
“The show follows the book wonderfully and without giving to much away various objects in the child's room become ships and other modes of transportation. Unlike any film this show draws the audience in by allowing them to imagine the world with the actors on stage,” adds Hamman. “This show has everything – humor, romance and an imaginative world that transports you around the world in just over two hours. It's really a beautiful piece of theatre."
"Around the World in 80 Days" is playing now through Sunday, July 31. Tickets are priced at $29 on Fridays (and limited Thursday performances), and at $39 on Saturdays and Sundays. Dinner show packages are available from $49. Group rates and overnight packages are also available. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Thursday performances are available at 2 p.m. June 23 and June 30.
The cast of "Around the World in 80 Days" features (in alphabetical order): Peter DeFaria (previously in FVR's "Red Herring"), Sean Patrick Fawcett (previously in "Leaving Iowa"), Brian Hamman of Wheaton, Lauren Pizzi and Matthew Sherbach. Alternating the role of The Boy will be Batavia residents and FVR Academy students Caden Bohmer and Colin Steele.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and is sponsored in part by the Daily Herald, Delnor Express Care, and DuPage Airport.
Pheasant Run Resort is located at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. For tickets, call the Pheasant Run Box Office at (630) 584-6342, or visit www.ticketmaster.com. Additional performance information may be obtained at www.foxvalleyrep.org.