A & E

The play, set to open today at the Carey Performing Arts Center at St. Vincent College, near Latrobe, invites audience members to journey along with Fogg, played by David Cabot, as he and the rest of the cast encounter stampeding elephants, raging typhoons, runaway trains and more.

Director Colleen Reilly, of Los Angeles, says the play is highly theatrical and thrilling to watch.

"It's physically challenging for the actors, as it involves a great deal of running around and changing characters," she says. "It's a play of genuine thrilling adventure and slapstick comedy."

In addition to Cabot, the cast includes Jeffery Howell, Michael Fuller, KJ Roberts and Theo Allyn. Combined, these five professional actors will play 39 roles, with Fuller and Howell playing more than a dozen each.

"Part of the fun is watching the actors truly become different characters," Reilly says.

The cast brings the Mark Brown adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel to life by the use of skill and imagination as they travel along, finding themselves in places such as a gentlemen's club in London and an Indian pagoda.

"The actors do talk to the audience and engage the audience's imagination and willingness to follow along," Reilly says. "It's a marvelous play. Working with good material and a magnificent cast is so much fun."

Reilly says that while "Around the World in 80 Days" is not a children's show, it is a family show where kids and adults of all ages can enjoy the performance.

"It's got something for everyone. It has all the elements -- adventure, comedy, romance and suspense," she says. "There are many wonderful moments in this show."

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