Home / Arts and Entertainment / Cheese Aria & Puppet Pups: "Three Men in a Boat" Hits Stage
Cheese Aria & Puppet Pups: "Three Men in a Boat" Hits Stage
24 Sep
Summary
- Adaptation features a rag puppet Montmorency and a reeking cheese aria.
- The narrative moves beyond the original text with new plot points and darker themes.
- The production incorporates eight musical numbers, including operatic and ballet pastiches.
A contemporary adaptation of Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat" is currently delighting audiences at the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames. This production reimagines the classic 1889 novella with a playful and modern sensibility, featuring a rag puppet terrier named Montmorency and an unexpected aria for reeking cheese. The show injects new narrative momentum and explores darker undertones present in the original text.
Christopher Haydon's staging offers a lively interpretation, with Al Smith's dramatisation skillfully juggling chronology and anchoring key set pieces. The adaptation introduces a wedding destination for the trio and a more complex characterization for George, who is now a widower. Grant Olding's score complements the action with eight musical numbers, ranging from biographical patter songs to operatic tributes and ballet pastiches, making for an engaging theatrical experience.
