Cast Set for THREE MEN IN A BOAT The The Mill At Sonning Theatre

Jerome K. Jerome’s classic Victorian memoir, Three Men In A Boat has been adapted by celebrated star of stage and screen, Clive Francis (The Crown, A Clockwork Orange, Entertaining Mr. Sloane) preserving the timeless humour and infusing it with a fresh and vibrant touch for contemporary audiences.

This warm and witty play invites you on an uproarious journey down the meandering waters of the Thames with the delightful trio of friends Harris, George, and Jerome, as they set sail on an unforgettable adventure through the English countryside, each twist and turn bringing a fresh dose of laughter and unexpected encounters. So, pack your bags, grab your oars, and prepare to be swept away by the camaraderie, and mischievous antics of this unforgettable trio, as they navigate not just the river’s currents but the comical currents of life itself.

When in 1889 Jerome K Jerome took his fictionalised friends up the Thames in a rowing boat  - describing Sonning as being “the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river…more like a stage village than one built of bricks and mortar” - his book was an instant success. Within a year river boating licences had doubled; Jerome had created a lifestyle craze. And the book has never been out of print since...

Director Joe Harmston says: “I’ve chosen to move the play’s action forward in time to the years shortly before the First World War to add some piquancy to our perception of Jerome, Harris and George’s antics.  I’ve also cast younger men than is sometimes the case. These three are not filling time at the end of their lives but searching for adventure in their prime.  In but a few short years they will have an existentially great game to be part of, and when that comes the world of pottering about on the river will in many ways be exactly what they are fighting for. Identity is forged in adversity not in the milk and honey of peaceful prosperity. In the last decade the English have been asked questions about who they are and want to be in an unprecedented manner. Perhaps that’s why we return to our metaphorical oars now and take to the river where so much remains unchanged. What I hope we find as we pull against the flow of the Thames is three generous-spirited, open-minded men, bound together in the fellowship of shared experience. What I hope we take away is that we can inherit from our past qualities entirely suited to an exciting and very different future.”

Cast:

James Bradshaw

(George) is best know for playing Home Office pathologist Dr. Max DeBryn in nine series of ITV’s Endeavour, the prequel to the long-running Inspector Morse series. His other TV roles include Gordon Grimley in the Granada series The Grimleys and D.S Geoff Thorpe in Hollyoaks. He has worked at the Birmingham Rep, Hampstead Theatre, and The National Theatre in House/Garden, directed by Sir Alan Ayckbourn. His West End credits include Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.

Sean Rigby

(Harris) is best know as Detective Sergeant Jim Strange in nine series of ITV’s Endeavour.  In the 2017 historical drama TV mini-series, Gunpowder, Rigby played William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, who received a letter, maybe or maybe not self-penned, warning of the Gunpowder Plot. On stage he was David in The Rubenstein Kiss (Southwark Playouse) and Moe in Pomona (Orange Tree).

George Watkins

(Jerome K. Jerome) returns to The Mill following his recent starring role as Clifford in Ira Levin’s DeathTrap. His other theatre credits includes Salieri in Amadeus (Northcott Theatre). Recent TV work includes playing Lord Morrison in Bridgerton Season 2 (Netflix ) and BBC1’s Silent Witness. Films include Universal’s The Huntsman: Winter’s War.

Joe Harmston (Director)
His directing career began in 1993 with the critically acclaimed King James’ Ear at The Old Red Lion. Since then he has directed over 100 productions around the world and forged associations with some of British theatre’s most significant voices including Harold Pinter, Ronald Harwood, Michael Frayn, Trevor Nunn, Peter Hall, Peter Ustinov and Bill Kenwright. He created and ran the hugely commercially and critically successful Agatha Christie Theatre Company with Bill Kenwright and Julius Green while at the other end of the spectrum he has been a career-long champion of new writing projects. Highlights have been The Lover and The Collection (Donmar Warehouse) starring their writer, Harold Pinter and the world premiere of King James’ Ear by Rod Dungate. More recently he was nominated by the TMA as Best Director for his ‘riveting reassessment’ of Strindberg’s The Father at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre, starring Olivier Award winners Joe Dixon and Katy Stephens and written by Laurie Slade.

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