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We spoke to Craig Gilbert, director of the upcoming Three Men In A Boat about the show. And here’s what he said…

Three Men In A Boat is an absolute classic. What’s been the best thing about adapting it for the stage?
Well I suppose it’s just that. It is a classic and it’s hilarious and wonderful. And because you know that the raw material is so great, consequently you just know it will work on the stage. Essentially, all the hard work has been done for you. It reminds me of when I was growing up – my dad drove a forklift and he would let me handle the steering wheel every so often. So it’s just like that, you get to get your hands on that wonderful material and steer it into a show for the theatre. That’s the best thing.

And on the flip side, what’s been the biggest challenge?
Probably making it theatrically viable. As a novel it’s quite a sedate story with no real narrative drive. But we’ve worked really hard on it to make it exciting to watch and a joyous thing to experience. For the actors, there’s also a challenge that they play several different characters in the show, but there’s a symmetry there with the book, because one of the wonderful things about the book is that there are these three men trying to achieve something that is really challenging for them.

Can you tell me more about the sets and costumes?
We’re using period costumes, here to fit the Victorian setting of the book. The design team for the production is the same as the team that work on all of our shows. We enjoy working with the same team each time because you build the creative over time, we’ve created a vibe and an aesthetic theme to Original Theatre Company shows, whilst still making them unique in their own right.

What about the musical element to the production – the live piano and the music hall singing? What does that bring to the production?
The songs are from Victorian music hall and Jerome references that quite a lot in the novel, so the music really captures the world about which the book was written. And the songs are really fun – they add a real lightness and playfulness which is perfectly in tune with the characters and the story.

Lastly, in a nutshell, why should people come to see Three Men In A Boat?
It will be a hugely enjoyable, funny, exciting and really theatrical experience.

For more info on the show or to book see here or call 0117 902 0344