A NEW production is coming to Reading Repertory Theatre next month, brought to the stage by a writer, actor, and performer from Reading.
Camille Ucan makes her playwriting debut with Three Hens in a Boat, which will follow the exploits of three generations of women, Claudette, Gloria, and Jay, as they navigate the River Thames from Kingston to Henley.
It explores their relationships as family members go through the various mishaps which befall them, inspired by Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat.
Ucan also stars, alongside writer and performer Verona Rose, as Gloria, and Ellen O’Grady, as Claudette.
“The original was published in the 1880s, and when I read it I found it so funny; it’s a really whimsical jaunt along the River Thames.
“I grew up in Reading, and it mentions lots of places I know and have been to, so it’s great when you read something you recognise and can imagine what it’s referencing.
“Reading Rep commissioned me to write a play– they love stuff that has that connection to Reading– so the book seemed like a really good starting point.
“It lends itself naturally to that, especially as a comedy.”
“Most of my background has been in comedy, so it seemed like a really good fit; I’ve seen other adaptations of the source material, which were more direct, straight adaptations, but I didn’t want to do that.
“In terms of story and character, there’s not a huge journey through the arc of the narrative– I wanted it to be a bit meatier in its plot and delve more into the characters.
“That’s why we say it’s inspired by the book– we’ve used the setting – but it’s very different.
“We still have three characters and a journey across the Thames, and even some of the set pieces.
“So if you know the play you’ll definitely recognise parts of it, sprinkled in as an hommage, but it’s completely different.”
Of the play, she explains: “We follow a grandma, a mum, and her daughter, exploring their love-hate relationships as family members.
“Comedy does lend itself to relatability and familiarity, not that I felt that I related to the characters of the original.
“So in terms of the characters and story, it’s been made more relatable through a modernised retelling for a contemporary audience.”
Camille has written for the stage in a number of Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows, as well as writing for Beano, a number of children’s TV shows, and BBC Radio shows such as Newsjack, Sketchorama, and Frontrow.
As an actor, she has appeared in shows such as Absolutely Fabulous, Campus, the Emily Atack Show, At Home with the Horne Section, and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
She has also had a number of performance and presenting roles in Late Night Mash, Radio 1 Birthday Girls House Party podcast, and Come to Where I Am: Reading.
She says that her experience in bringing a script to the screen and the stage has: “Definitely helped.
“I’m very used to getting a script and working through it and perform it, especially with dialogue, so that really helps with seeing if my script feels natural.
“Families cut across one another a lot, it’s quite fast-paced, and for me this is the first play that I’ve written.”
She explains: “I think a lot of comedy comes from the feeling that there’s things that are left unsaid, or there’s something else going on behind what they’re saying.
“Their relationships are quite fraught, and there’s that underlying tension, which inevitably comes out– whether that’s them trying to hide that or perhaps coming to blows.
“Everyone’s always got their own agenda aside from what’s actually happening between them and the other people they’re interacting with, and that’s always a good grounding for comedy.”
Speaking of the show’s run at the Rep, she says: “It’s really nice to be able to bring it to a stage in Reading– I’ve performed here before, but I’ve never brought a self-penned work to the stage here, so it feels very exciting.
“I’ve spent a lot of my time in this area, so it feels really special to be bringing it to the Rep.”
She explained she is most looking forward to seeing a particular scene being brought to life on the stage: “The pineapple tin bashing scene, is one of the set pieces from the original book which I really enjoyed.
“I’m also looking forward to the reveal of a certain character, as well as the very last scene of the play, which I can’t say too much about, of course.”
Three Hens in a Boat is showing at Reading Repertory Theatre from Thursday, May 1, to Saturday, May 17.
Full details and tickets are available via: readingrep.com/three-hens-in-a-boat
It is also set to show at the Watermill Theatre, in Newbury, from Thursday, May 22, to Saturday, June 7.
