Q&A with David Abécassis for Around The World In 80 Days-Ish!

Ahead of our new show Around The World In 80 Days-Ish! opening this month, our Press Officer Steve Pratt caught up with David Abécassis, who isplaying Passepartout, to find out more about some of his favourite places to visit around the world and more…

Do you like travelling or are you a stay-at-home person?

I love to travel, discovering new cultures and new worlds, or old ones like Pompeii or the Taj Mahal in India. They’re full of history, it’s like travelling in time, being your own Indiana Jones. You learn, you meet people and in return it’s feeding your soul, your creativity. Travel is important, as a creative, or just as a human being.

Where do you call home?

I would call home where my family is for now, Paris. But also London where my life began as a creative and as an actor after my training at LAMDA. There is also my ancestral and cultural country that is very important to my heart that I will call home and always feel like home. I believe there is more than one definition of a ‘home’. For now home is York with all the wonderful creative team and my very funny colleagues with whom I’m working on this wonderful project.

Best place you’ve visited

I have visited a lot of places, from a very young age, thanks to my parents, especially my mother who really wanted us to travel all together as a family – the earlier the better. Because of that, it’s not only a place but the memories attached to it. I consider the best place I have visited is China – the forbidden city in Beijing, the Terracotta Army and the Great Wall – surrounded by my dad, mom and brother. Unforgettable moments in a different world. We were almost discovering another planet together. That’s the best thing in the world.

Place (town, country, planet) you’d most like to visit

I would love to visit Australia. I would love to do a road trip there with my brother. Or Antarctica. I know it’s the complete opposite but I feel Antarctica could be a very spiritual journey.

Best way to travel – train, plane, automobile or cycle

It depends where you start, where you are going and what journey you want to have. If I want to go to Thailand I will fly there, then take buses, cars and motorcycles to get around, or trains to move further down the country. I was travelling with my family in India and we took the train together. It was the perfect way to travel for the moment and the destination

What languages do you speak?

French, English, a bit of Hebrew, some Spanish, Italian and I even had a go learning Siamese when I was in Thailand. My grandfather is the language guy in the family – he speaks around nine languages fluently.

Do you have any Yorkshire connections? Unfortunately no … but hold on I do now – our director Juliet Forster and Maria Gray who plays Nellie in the production – and all the wonderful audience coming to see the show – will be the new connections I have with York.

Have you visited York before? If not, what do you intend to visit while working in the city? This is my first time visiting York and I love it. It’s full of history and I want to be the tourist. I will definitely do all the tourist sights. It’s a beautiful city.

On the subject of Around the World in 80 Days-ish:

Have  you read the Jules Verne book?

Of course, several times. I even found an original edition of the book in London, how crazy is that? I love Jules Verne especially – apart from Around the World – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I am a diver myself so if you write an incredible adventure about the sea you will get hooked until the end of the story. I will go and visit his house in Amiens after the show.

Who do you play in the York adaptation and what’s their role in the story?

Passepartout – a very funny character full of skills. He is Monsieur Fogg’s manservant. He helps him and is indispensable. He’s very brave and very loyal but can still find himself in odd and funny situations. He is a bit naïve but not stupid. He is a clown in spite of himself. If you have a problem you can count on him with no regard to money or reward – only friendship with a huge heart.

What circus skills do you have?

I have done some physical theatre from clowning to aerial acrobatics. All the skills we have are needed in Around the World – from cycling any kind of bike or juggling or standing on your head.

Q&A by Steve Pratt