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French School of Bahrain – Cultural Hall
ADVENTURE and excitement filled the air at the Bahrain Cultural Hall last Thursday evening as students of the French School of Bahrain took a crowd on an amazing 80-minute journey around the globe.
The musical, titled Around the World in 80 Minutes, was based on Jules Verne’s popular novel Around the World in 80 Days. The story is about a wealthy Englishman named Phileas Fogg who is challenged by his friends to see if he can actually travel around the globe in 80 days. Fogg accepts the wager and is joined by his valet, Passe Partout, as he crosses from one continent to another and makes new friends along the way.
Director Sadaf Karim did a wonderful job of balancing the acts with interactive songs, colourful narration, as well as short acting sketches to keep the audience engaged. It was entertaining to see the crowd interact with the cast as it brought adults and children together to enjoy classic songs, making the performance even more dynamic.
Dressed in mostly black and white, the choir looked sharp and was full of energy as they belted songs like Voyage Voyage by Desireless, Walk like an Egyptian by The Bangles, Karma Chameleon by the Culture Club and a fun Beatles medley.
Two different actors from Act 1 to Act 2 played Fogg in order to maximise student talent in the production. Both actors, Karim Ayoub and Yvan El Haiby, made sure to act precisely and methodically, just as expected of Fogg’s character. The transition was seamless, although each actor added his own bit of flavour to Fogg and it was interesting to watch two different actors play the same role. This was also done for Rolihlahla’s character.
All of the performers were charming, but the kingdom’s latest Seef Junior Superstar, Elena Shokry, delivered an exceptionally vibrant enactment as Partout. Her voice was stunning and powerful and she knew exactly how to captivate the audience as she tipped her flat cap and merrily sang with her briefcase in hand. Salma Abdelaziz played Leilah and mesmerised the crowd with her striking Egyptian costume and bold and beautiful vocals as well.
In the end, Fogg won the wager and he exclaimed that all of his winnings would go to a good cause. The good cause was a dream come true as it was announced that proceeds from the show would actually be donated to charity.
The show closed with a touching vocal performance of John Lennon’s Imagine, but the audience demanded an encore. The curtains opened once again while the cheerful children sang Pharrell’s Happy and gave their bows with director Karim. I don’t speak French, but I enjoyed hearing the school’s ambassadors speak in the elegant language; it was a fun linguistic puzzle for me to figure out.
Overall, the story was lovely, the performance was lively, and I give my high regards to director Karim for putting together a stellar student show.
