Thaddeus Phillips returns to Buntport with a solo show that pays homage to Georges Méliès.

At first glance, it looks like nothing. A screen. A strange box obscured with a red curtain. A camera on a tripod. But once the lights go down and Thaddeus McWhinnie Phillips emerges, you’ll find yourself transported into a dizzying, toy-sized world of cinematic imagination.

Phillips’ new solo piece ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS is unlike anything else onstage this summer. A Rube Goldberg machine of miniatures, projections, live camera work, shadow work and sleight of hand, the 40-minute show reimagines the final years of French filmmaker and cinema pioneer Georges Méliès, who spent his twilight years working in a toy shop in Paris.

What Phillips does with that setting is both tribute and transformation. Drawing loose inspiration from Around the World in 80 Days and his own hit 2020 digital show Zoo Motel, he launches Méliès on a fanciful journey around the globe using nothing but a rotating diorama and a dizzying array of miniature objects. Trains, globes, wind-up elephants, waving cats, figurines of every kind. There truly may be 80 toys (or more) involved!

The box at the show’s center isn’t just a toy shop set. It’s a storytelling machine. With one camera mounted in front and another hovering above, Phillips manipulates the toys in real time, filming sequences that play on the screen like a handcrafted silent movie unfolding before our eyes. He dons the curtain as a smock, animates scenes with stop-motion-esque precision, and even incorporates magic tricks, developed with New York magician Steve Cuiffo, for added flair.

There’s no dialogue. Instead, cinematic text slides in and out of frame, classical music surges and recedes, and the rhythm of movement becomes its own language. The production is soundtracked by an eclectic mix of classical tracks, ranging from the iconic Lawrence of Arabia theme to Ennio Morricone’s stirring anthem “The Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good the Bad and the Ugly. It’s all stitched together by sound and video designer Ian Vespermann, whose tech work is integral to the experience. Video overlays, sharp sound cues and moody lighting all help sell the illusion of film conjured live onstage.

The main set piece contains a globe, a variety of toys and cameras to show it to the audience.

A work in progress

But for all its spectacle, ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS remains a work in progress. Opening night had its share of hiccups, including projected images frequently slipping out of focus, scene changes lagging and some effects (such as a fog machine) that did not make it to the stage. These stumbles didn’t derail the experience but underscored the sheer complexity of the undertaking.

To his credit, Phillips is the kind of performer who turns errors into intimacy. After the show, he spoke casually with audience members, explaining that Buntport is a developmental partner who is helping shape the piece ahead of its September premiere at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. This scrappy Denver run is the first time the show has been performed in full, with all tech elements in place — a kind of live beta test that invites its audience into the process.

Stage magic

And what a process it is. When the show clicks, it’s genuinely magical. The combination of elements truly does feel like a whimsical, silent film being created in real-time. Director Tatiana Mallarino keeps the pacing brisk despite the occasional delay, and her staging cleverly balances cinematic scale with intimate craft. Phillips is never still for long, whether he’s repositioning the camera, cueing sound or animating his cast of figurines.

At its core, ArounD the WorlD in 80 Toys is an experiment in form that explores what theatre can be in an age of screens, interactivity and hybrid storytelling. It may not be polished yet, but that’s part of the charm. In telling the story of a forgotten film pioneer with tools that blur the line between stage and screen, Phillips reminds us that the most powerful special effect is still human hands bringing stories to life.

If you’re a fan of experimental theater, silent film, or simply want to see a toy box turned into a time machine, ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS is worth the trip. Just don’t expect perfection because it’s still a work in progress; instead, expect play, wonder and the messy, marvelous act of creation in motion.