Review by Raphael Kohn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Berkshire’s prime dinner theatre venue has done it again. With irresistible charm and wit, Clive Francis’ stage adaptation of Jerome K. Jerome’s classic book Three Men In A Boat has everything needed for a fun night out – great performances, laugh-out-loud comedy, and even a tiny little touch of audience interaction.
We enter (after a delicious meal) into the quaint, intimate auditorium, faced with a box and three chairs. Admittedly, not much to tempt the mind, but there’s much to uncover still. For behind these covers lies Sean Cavanagh’s set, a painted wooden world, for these three actors to inhabit. It’s sweet, and yet intriguing.
Jerome’s book is a classic of English literature, adored and beloved by many across the country. Francis’ adaptation stays mainly faithful – a series of vignettes of Jerome’s journey down the Thames as he (played by a humorous George Watkins) and his friends (a delightfully camp James Bradshawas ‘George’ and brilliantly serious Sean Rigby as ‘Harris’) take a holiday from their work. And so rather than a coherent, linear plot, we encounter Jerome and his friends in various predicaments along their journey.
That’s not to say its episodic structure is a problem. It feels just right – placing the comedy at the forefront and the plot (or what little plot there really is) to the background. Francis’ script is tight and, for the most part, a delightful gem, full of funny one-liners and chaos for director Joe Harmston to get his actors stuck into. And so we are treated to Jerome’s madcap moments – with particular highlights in their chaotic setting up of a tent, and a hilariously haywire hotel bedroom scene.
There’s no fourth wall here at the Mill in this production; it’s well and truly broken by the cast. More narrated to drive the plot than acted, we receive interludes, mainly from Watkins’ Jerome but not exclusively, to introduce each vignette as we skip from moment to moment. This is certainly a strength of Francis’ script – in presenting the novel’s best moments as an episodic play, we get a fast-paced, energetic and farcical production.
Director Harmston knows exactly what to do to appeal to the Mill’s target audience – his farcical production appeals to the audience with precision. The laughs come easily, with the buffoonish characters’ scrapes and misfortunes always providing a welcome response of laughter in the Mill’s little house. Staged immaculately (including up and down the Mill’s aisles, with audience interaction imposed upon unsuspecting patrons nearby), it’s a silly romp.
This romp up the Thames is implied by Cavanagh’s cleverly unfolding set – a wooden box on a green carpet opens up to reveal the titular boat, commandeered by all members of the cast – with Mike Robertson’s lighting helping to turn the green carpet into a blue river and transform the otherwise bare stage into a delightful array of settings. There may be limitations in the small space of the Mill’s theatre, but you’d barely know it as Cavanagh and Robertson make the absolute most of the space and capabilities.
And filling the space is a delightful trio of actors – all carefully attuned to each other and with sparkling chemistry between them. James Bradshaw is a particular standout as George (despite the unfortunate limitations handed to him by Francis’ script to keep him offstage for far too much of the first act), but all three actors are a delight. They not only play their own parts, but each multi-roles with precision to fill out the rest of the story. Most notably, the character of Montmercy(Jerome’s dog) features only through responses to his presence, and the three actors filling in his barks themselves, but with no actual dog to speak of.
It all feels a little bit dated, with very little modern relevance, meaning, or poignancy (save for the final tableau). But this is precisely the point. It is a joyful, silly night out at the theatre to see a stage recreation of a beloved work of literature. It’s a series of well-choreographed laughs, silly situations and one or two cheeky innuendos, performed confidently and charmingly. And for that, well, there’s little to fault.
Three Men In A Boat plays at the Mill at Sonning until 13thJuly 2024. Tickets from https://millatsonning.com/shows/three-men-in-a-boat/
Photos by Andreas Lambis
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