Cabrillo Playhouse is getting ready to take audiences on a whirlwind journey across continents with Around the World in 80 Days, opening August 21.
Based on Jules Verne’s classic adventure, the production follows the unflappable Phileas Fogg as he wagers that he can circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days. Accompanied by his loyal valet Passepartout and pursued by the determined Detective Fix, Fogg encounters an ever-changing collection of characters along the way.
Meet the eight actors bringing the adventure to life on the Cabrillo Playhouse stage.
Leading the journey as Phileas Fogg is Patrick McMahon, who returns to Cabrillo Playhouse after previously appearing as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. McMahon trained in theater at Pomona College and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood. His extensive stage credits include roles in Jekyll & Hyde, Amadeus, South Pacific, Same Time, Next Year, Leading Ladies, A Comedy of Tenors, Footloose and Dracula. A psychotherapist by day, McMahon is also sharing the Cabrillo stage once again with his wife and fellow cast member Tiffany Berg McMahon.
Joining Fogg on his globe-spanning adventure as Passepartout is Adam Ferguson, making his third appearance at Cabrillo Playhouse. Ferguson made his stage debut at Cabrillo in Calendar Girls and later returned for Much Ado About Nothing. Over the past two years, he has also appeared in Greetings! at Newport Theatre Arts Center, Boeing Boeing at Costa Mesa Playhouse and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at No Square Theatre.
Dani Angel Bustamante returns to Cabrillo Playhouse as Detective Fix, the persistent detective whose pursuit of Fogg adds another complication to the race around the world. Bustamante’s favorite credits include Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Forever Plaid, Big Fish, Candide, RENT, Next to Normal, The Drowsy Chaperone, Leading Ladies, A Comedy of Tenors and You Can’t Take It with You. When he isn’t performing, Bustamante works in education, helping young people reach their full potential.
Tiffany Berg McMahon returns to Cabrillo Playhouse as the Princess and reunites onstage with her husband, Patrick. A familiar face to Cabrillo audiences, Berg McMahon has appeared at the Playhouse in It’s a Wonderful Life, A Comedy of Tenors, Leading Ladies, Painting Churches, Love Letters, Same Time, Next Year and The Last 5 Years. Other favorite roles include Karen in The Children’s Hour, Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, El Gallo in The Fantasticks and Veronica in God of Carnage
Rebecca Leeds also returns to the Cabrillo stage, where audiences may recognize her from It’s a Wonderful Life (The Radio Play), A Comedy of Tenors and Play On! Her recent Orange County credits include The Book of Will at Curtis Theatre, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Newport Theatre Arts Center, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at No Square Theatre, Peace Be With You at The Wayward Artist and Emilie: The Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight at Curtis Theatre.
Richard MacPherson makes his third appearance at Cabrillo Playhouse after portraying Sydney Redlitch in Bell, Book and Candle and Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life. A San Clemente resident and 40-year member of SAG-AFTRA, MacPherson’s stage work has included portrayals of Oscar Wilde, Heisenberg, John F. Kennedy, Sherlock Holmes, Gandalf, Atticus Finch and Dracula. He also taught English and drama for the Department of Education in Hawaii.
Lloyd Blum makes his Cabrillo Playhouse debut in Around the World in 80 Days. His recent stage work includes Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with the Children’s Theatre of Long Beach, and he has performed improv with LA Connection. Blum’s television credits include Netflix’s The Hawk and HBO Max’s Hacks.
Also making her Cabrillo Playhouse debut is Makayla Lohman, who is currently completing her studies in drama at UC Irvine. In addition to acting, Lohman has a passion for lighting and sound design as well as stage management. Away from the theater, she enjoys working with children and making music.
Around the World in 80 Days opens August 21 at Cabrillo Playhouse and brings the theater’s 2026 season to a close with a fast-paced mix of comedy, adventure and theatrical ingenuity.