It’s a balmy June evening, the waters of the Thames are lapping a few feet away, I’m blessed with much-loved company and I am very pleasantly full of delicious food. Then I walk a few metres into the theatre auditorium and watch a play about a group of friends in exactly the same state.
The Mill at Sonning’s production of Three Men in A Boat is absolutely chockablock with English charm and is a feast for the eyes, ears and – thanks to our delicious pre-show meal – stomach.
Based on Jerome K Jerome’s classic comedy travel diaries first published in 1889, this adaptation from Clive Frances has preserved its original charm while somewhat updating the production for a modern audience.
It tells the story of three Victorian gentlemen friends who decide to take time away from cigars and brandy in their Kensington residence to take a boating trip along the Thames.
Harris, the charmingly careless dreamer (Sean Rigby), practical and level-headed George (James Bradshaw), and our comically anxious narrator J (George Watkins) meander through their misadventures along idyllic waterways and picturesque towns of the English countryside, where they find themselves somewhat underprepared and incompetent.
The production, by contrast, could not be less incompetent, incredibly slick and superbly navigated by our cast and crew. At all times, I felt they steered an incredibly smooth ship, thanks to the captaincy of director Joe Harmston.
The ensemble beautifully depicted this delightful trio of friends, working incredibly hard on a production that saw them never leave the stage apart from the interval, and each assuming a multitude of other characters they encountered along their journey.
In fact, this multi-role discipline was one of my favourite parts of the production, and showcased the breadth of talent on the stage. There is naturalistic acting mixed with moments of make believe, such as their imaginary canine companion and the numerous characters appearing in anecdotes they retold along their travels, and I loved that.
Natalie Titchener’s costume designs were beautiful, totally nostalgic for the Mary Poppins-esque level of charm I associate with this depiction of theatrical Victoriana, displaying striped blazers, straw boaters and colourful bow ties.
Sean Cavanagh’s set was a work of genius, opening on a Kensington drawing room with a bureau that transformed into a train carriage before opening to reveal a full riverside vista complete with moving rowing boat. And all lit beautifully by a lighting scape where I could have sworn the sunlight was bouncing off the river itself. I have to also give special mention to Tom Lishman’s sound design. It is no small feat to set a play almost entirely on a river, but the subtlety of his sound effects were utterly transformative.
There were moments of real comic brilliance: a discussion around the universally-accepted horrors of erecting a tent in the rain, the retelling of a disastrous trip to a maze, and trying to locate their bedrooms in an inn after nightfall with no candles, all provided big laughs. Plus there was an ironic chortle for the ever-so-current discussion around the safety of drinking river water…
Another lovely touch was the choice to involve the audience at selective moments, such as being given mooring ropes to hold, or ‘no trespassing’ signs to display. Combined with the delightful crescent moon and intimate tiered seating of The Mill at Sonning’s auditorium, these made us feel part of the storytelling magic, as we were both river bank and river boaters.
Following the celebration of female friendship in The Mil’s last production of Calendar Girls, this time it is the turn of male friendship to be put under the microscope, albeit a rather more moderate depiction than previously seen on these boards (much less nudity this time around as well; I only spotted one ankle flash, quite the scandal)
I must confess, while the performances and production were stupendous, like most of Victorian society, I found the script to be a little more restrained than I’d have liked. There is so much more nuance and depth to male friendship that I thought this story should have been able to capture, but I felt it never really dipped below the surface of the river it was meandering along.
So while the story itself was not really my cup of tea, I very much appreciated the fine china it was served in and would recommend it to anyone wanting a charming night out of English theatre.
Three Men in A Boat runs at The Mill at Sonning until Saturday, July 13. For more information or to book your ticket, visit www.millatsonning.com.
