Review: ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS

Review: ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS  | Buntport Theater | Denver, CO | Curtain Up! | Gina Robertson

From Denver to Edinburgh, Thaddeus Phillips’ Around the World in 80 Toys premiered this week in Denver before embarking on an international journey of its own. Catch it before it’s gone at Buntport Theater through August 1. It’s a live cinematic and theatrical performance by Phillips alone, featuring stage magic, special effects, creative filmmaking, and vintage toys.

Thaddeus Phillips; Photo Credit: Johanna Austin

Phillips uses hidden cameras and a projection screen, shadows, smoke, a strobe light, a diorama box and lots of toys to tell a story based on the later years of French silent film pioneer Georges Melies, who ran a toy shop in Paris after being forgotten by the industry. The performance imagines Melies taking a trip around the world, inspired by an eviction notice and a copy of Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days.

As Melies, Phillips gives a child-like Mr. Bean style performance, using his expressive face and perfectly timed yet casual movements to convey a sense of wonder along with a certain canny brilliance. One of the greatest tricks involves the coincidental nature of the presumably pre-recorded video feed projected on the screen with Phillips’ own carefully staged actions before the cameras, blurring the perception of what may be pre-recorded film vs. live action video feed. The show includes other mind-tickling puzzles, such as a trick of perspective that allows Melies to ride a toy elephant for part of his journey.

Thaddeus Phillips; Photo Credit: Johanna Austin

For Phillips, a Denver native who built an international career creating large, visually stunning theatrical works, this small, intimate show is a return to his roots. The production is co-created and directed by Colombian theater artist Tatiana Mallarino, with illusion design by magician Steve Cuiffo and video and sound design by Ian Vespermann.

The brief Denver engagement is the beginning of an ambitious international tour. Following its run at Buntport Theater, Around the World in 80 Toys travels to Summerhall for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, one of the world’s largest and most influential performing arts festivals.

In an era dominated by digital art and artificial intelligence, Around the World in 80 Toys feels almost radical in its commitment to analog creativity. Every illusion is created by human hands, every cinematic effect assembled in real time from toys, cameras and imagination. It pays tribute not only to Melies, one of cinema’s earliest visionaries, but also to the enduring magic of live performance itself.

Before the production crosses the Atlantic for Scotland, Denver audiences have the chance to witness this theatrical experiment that celebrates the origins of movie magic while reminding us that the most astonishing special effects are often the simplest ones: a performer, a toy, a camera and a story that invites audiences to believe in impossible journeys once again.

Information and tickets: https://80toys.ludus.com/index.php