Tag Archives: Sean Cavanagh

THREE MEN IN A BOAT

★★★

The Mill at Sonning

THREE MEN IN A BOAT at The Mill at Sonning

★★★

“It won’t rock the boat too much as it drifts along on its stream of witty dialogue pleasantly enough”

Published in 1889, Jerome K. Jerome’s “Three Men in a Boat” was initially intended to be a serious travel guide, with snippets of local history thrown in. But unwittingly, the author’s natural flair for comedy took over the narrative and Jerome found himself with an instant best seller on his hands. Since then, it has never been out of print and, even if not everybody has read it, most people are familiar with its title. It is simultaneously dated yet, quite rightly, resists being placed in a contemporary context. Instead, his style and influence can be seen in modern-day equivalents such as Bill Bryson, or more specifically Pete McCarthy. And even Tim Dowling owes his self-deprecating gift for focusing on the commonplace in part to Jerome.

Nothing much happens at all in “Three Men in a Boat”. That is much of its beauty, so to translate that onto the stage is going to be a tall order. Clive Francis’ adaptation moves it forward in time to the eve of World War I, although we only get a glimpse of this representation – albeit a powerful one – towards the end. The preceding couple of hours is a faithful reproduction of the book which doesn’t always translate into a particularly interesting piece of theatre.

 

 

We meet the characters: Jerome (George Watkins), his banker chum George (James Bradshaw) and the eccentric Harris (Sean Rigby) discussing their various, real and imagined ailments; the three actors quickly and neatly establishing the personalities of the odd trio. While none of them can decide quite what they are suffering from, they all agree that it has been brought on by overwork. A change of scene is what is needed. Sean Cavanagh’s authentically detailed set provides this by cleverly opening up from its Edwardian Kensington apartment into a nostalgic backdrop of the Thames riverbank. The three friends then cram themselves into a boat that is far too small for comfort (especially for the week-long cruise they are embarking on). It’s a good job their canine companion is imagined – its presence represented by sound alone.

We also meet some interesting and colourful characters along the way (lockkeepers, country-bumpkins, pub-locals, boastful fishermen), all played in turn by the three men in the boat. The technique allows for touches of farcical humour, and thanks to the performers’ versatility and swift shapeshifting, we are never confused. Director Joe Harmston relies on the device too much, however, diluting the dramatic impact. The narrative works best when the three men are just being themselves, and we are afforded personal access to their close-knit camaraderie. Yes, tempers occasionally fray but Watkins, Bradshaw and Rigby never let us forget the deep-rooted sense of loyalty and companionship that true friendship offers. The second act strongly reinforces that underlying message.

“To friendship and loyalty” they toast in the final moments. The tone shifts into a minor key as the hum of warplanes drifts from the horizon. It is a fleeting and poignant footnote. But overall, “Three Men in a Boat” is as comforting as a gently meandering tributary. It won’t rock the boat too much as it drifts along on its stream of witty dialogue pleasantly enough. Some of us might need something more challenging, but we all need every now and then the refreshing and easy-going escapism that this show has to offer. And the Mill at Sonning is the perfect setting for it. As Jerome K. Jerome writes in the book; ‘… it is the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river… more like a stage village’. You won’t be swept away, but it’s definitely worth getting on board.

 


THREE MEN IN A BOAT at The Mill at Sonning

Reviewed on 15th June 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Andreas Lambis

 

 


 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CALENDAR GIRLS | ★★★★ | April 2024
HIGH SOCIETY | ★★★★ | December 2023
IT’S HER TURN NOW | ★★★ | October 2023
GYPSY | ★★★★★ | June 2023
TOP HAT | ★★★★ | November 2022
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK | ★★★★ | July 2022

THREE MEN IN A BOAT

THREE MEN IN A BOAT

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The Rubenstein Kiss

The Rubenstein Kiss
★★★★★

Southwark Playhouse

The Rubenstein Kiss

The Rubenstein Kiss

Southwark Playhouse

Reviewed – 18th March 2019

★★★★★

 

“The urgency of the writing is matched by an outstanding cast across the board”

 

Just before sundown on Friday 19th June 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sent to the electric chair in New York’s Sing Sing prison, accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. Proclaiming themselves innocent, to the point of martyrdom, right up to their deaths, the couple were the first American citizens to be executed for espionage. That they were sacrificial lambs to McCarthyism is generally undisputed, but a further twist to the case was that it rested on the testimony of Ethel’s brother, who decades later told reporters that he lied to protect his own family.

With name changes for dramatic licence, their haunting true story is the basis of James Phillips’ “The Rubenstein Kiss”, which takes its title from the famous photograph of the Rosenberg’s kiss in the back of the prison van before their execution. The fictionalised version of the photograph hangs in an art gallery in the mid-seventies; where young law student Matthew (Dario Coates) meets, seemingly by chance, history teacher, Anna (Katie Eldred). From this, again seemingly, light-hearted vignette of the courting couple we are suddenly swept back to Esther and Jakob Rubenstein’s starkly furnished New York apartment in 1942.

What follows is an utterly compelling and thought provoking two hours of theatre. The essential beauty of Phillips’ play is that it perfectly combines the brutal political and social impact of the historical facts with a profound and deeply moving study of two connected families across two generations. The dialogue shoots straight to the heart of the characters’ innermost concerns, showering us with the impossible questions about morality, loyalty, betrayal, truth and patriotism at such a divisive time in America’s history.

The urgency of the writing is matched by an outstanding cast across the board. Henry Proffit and Ruby Bentall, as Jakob and Esther Rubenstein, both capture the unwavering passion and blind resolve of the doomed ideological couple; Bentall quite simply riveting in her final scenes under interrogation by Stephen Billington’s cool, chilling yet ambivalently sympathetic FBI agent, Paul Cranmer. Sean Rigby’s sensitive portrayal of the traitorous brother saves him from villainy and, like his fiancé, Rachel Lieberman (Eva-Jane Willis) shows that the choices we are forced to make are never clear cut. In fact, collectively the entire cast allow the audience the freedom to make their own conclusions.

Under Joe Harmston’s vital direction, the interlocking strands of the narrative, aided by Matthew Bugg’s swooping sound design, seamlessly cut between the forties and the seventies. Dario Coates and Katie Eldred as the young lovers brilliantly depict their struggle to find their own identity, frantically looking for a truth that can help explain the past.

This production grips throughout, and while being a truly enthralling history lesson, it is essentially a haunting, poignant, sublimely crafted and superbly acted piece of theatre.

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Scott Rylander

 


The Rubenstein Kiss

Southwark Playhouse until 13th April

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

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