Review: Three Men in a Boat, Rose Theatre
Review: Three Men in a Boat, Rose Theatre
By Mike Reed
Image credit: Helen Murray
Three men, one boat, some decidedly dubious cheese and far more swans than anyone should reasonably have to contend with. The Rose Theatre’s new production of Three Men in a Boat takes Jerome K. Jerome’s much-loved comic novel and sends it hurtling down the Thames in a wonderfully silly, energetic and frequently hilarious adventure.
There is something particularly satisfying about seeing this story brought to life in Kingston. Jerome, George and Harris begin their ill-fated journey here before heading upstream towards Oxford.
Writer Al Smith has taken Jerome K. Jerome’s famously episodic 1889 novel and shaped it into a fast-moving theatrical romp. Under Christopher Haydon’s direction Jonny Weldon, Bronté Barbé and Richard David-Caine throw themselves into the escalating chaos, more than ably supported by puppeteer Calum Donald-Bruce.
And chaos there certainly is.
There are plenty of chuckles throughout, punctuated by genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Well-performed physical comedy routines sit alongside long runs of clever wordplay, visual gags and moments that have the deliciously precarious feeling that everything could fall apart at any second which the cast masterfully balance.
The fun is relentless from scenes of rave dancing while hallucinating to a massacre of the King’s swans. However, while some pieces drag on slightly too long, by the end you feel a little as though you too have travelled every chaotic mile alongside them.
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Grant Olding’s original songs add another layer of theatricality. I will confess that Edwardian parlour-style meets Vaudevillian music hall songs are unlikely ever to feature on my personal playlist but even a sceptic has to appreciate just how cleverly constructed the songs are. The performance of them was impressive, delivering tongue twisters at apace with a lyrical dexterity that at times quite genuinely befuddles the mind.
At its heart, though, beneath the absurdity, mishaps and escalating desperation, Three Men in a Boat remains a story about friendship. There is an affectionate warmth to Jerome, George and Harris that gives all the nonsense something to hang upon. They may bicker, blunder and brutally call each other out, but they do it together.
The result is a very British sort of madness: inventive, eccentric and unapologetically silly. Audiences will be rewarded if they allow themselves to go with the flow and enjoy it for what it is: a nostalgic concoction of old-school amusement.
For Kingston audiences, there is the added pleasure of watching a great comic journey begin on familiar territory. More than 130 years after Jerome K. Jerome first sent his three men upstream, the Rose has put them back in the boat.
A fun trip well worth taking.
Until 10th October – tickets here
Running time: Approx. 2hrs 30mins, incl. interval
Age guidance: 12+
Age Restrictions within the Rose Theatre auditorium. Children must NOT be unaccompanied in the auditorium under the age of 14 and must be accompanied by a responsible person over the age of 16.
Relaxed Performance: Tuesday 29 September, 6.30pm.
Audio Described Performances, with Touch Tours: Tuesday 6 October, 6.30pm and Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm. Touch Tours 2hrs before show start. Audio Description by Veronika Hyks.
Captioned Performance: Saturday 10 October, 2.30pm, captions by Geert Rigters and StageText.
