The latest production of Al Smith's Three Men in a Boat, directed by the Rose Theatre's Artistic Director Christopher Haydon and based on Jerome K. Jerome's Victorian novel, began at Kingston's Rose Theatre on Friday, 18 September.

While the general plot is quite simply about three men (and a dog) in a boat, Haydon's production offers deeper meaning by exploring themes of friendship, grief, loneliness, and the human condition.

Three Men in a Boat follows friends Jerome, Harris and George - along with Jerome's dog Monty - sailing upstream of the Thames from the Hampton Court Maze to Oxford in a dishevelled old boat masked as a stag do for Harris a week before his wedding - making the Rose a fitting starting point for the production with it being so close to the setting.

Having recently been to the maze, Haydon said of the production: "I was struck to learn that, not only did it [the maze] appear in Three Men in a Boat, but that the book itself was set, in part at least, here in Kingston."

The play does indeed make frequent references to our town, including the well-known train journey from Kingston to Waterloo as well as Turks Boat Launches - and a humorous remark from Jerome saying that "No one has heard of Kingston".

The cast consists of Jonny Weldon (Disney+'s Rivals, Netflix's One Day, and 101 Dalmatians at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) as Jerome, Bronté Barbé (Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, Disney's Newsies: The Musical, 2 and Oklahoma! at Chichester Festival Theatre) as Harris, Richard David-Caine (The Witches at the National Theatre and BBC's Horrible Histories) as George and Calum Donald-Bruce as Montmorency (Monty).

And I must say, the three main actors were nothing short of spectacular and could and should be on stage in the West End.

However, it is clear that Donald-Bruce's masterfully skilled puppetry of Monty the dog may have stolen the show, and many in Wednesday's audience said they agreed with me.

Starting at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 23 September, for its press viewing, the Rose was packed with theatregoers eager to see the show as well as well-known local faces including Kingston Council's leader, Andreas Kirsch and local MP Sir Ed Davey, who told Nub News he was thoroughly enjoying the show during the interval.

And as a special supplement for press night, the production offered extra audience interaction with the cast chatting to "critic" Nicky and stage management "of the River Thames" appearing on set to help the friends open a deadly cheesy urn.

Initially, after a heart plush toy "accidentally" flew into the audience, I thought that the cast had conducted some incredible improvisation skills to remain in character despite potential "mistakes" in the script.

However, when "critic" Nicky was eagerly on hand to provide the cast with much-needed props nearing the end of the show, it was clear that these "mistakes" were carefully planned for the press night audience's enjoyment.

And it certainly worked as the audience was in fits of laughter.

The stage setting was simple yet effective, with a stunning painting of the Thames used as a backdrop - luring the audience in with a sense of recognition - and its ability to move, along with the interchanging lighting, works perfectly to convey different locations and times of the day.

Additionally, the spinning blocks painted as grass in the opening scene mimic that of the infamous Hampton Court Maze, and the revolving stage allows for ducks to swim around the central boat prop, making this somewhat chaotic story seem realistic.

The music, costumes and stage curtains are also marvellous - reminiscent of a classic Victorian variety show and transporting the audience into an era in which they may know well but have never lived.

The play begins with George and Harris (carrying a Hampton Court Maze map) hilariously trying to find each other in the maze, with the pair even jumping off the stage and running into the audience.

In fact, the cast's audience engagement throughout is spectacular and enables viewers to feel as though they too are part of the show.

Eventually Jerome joins the foolish pair, who somewhat remind me of the Chuckle Brothers, along with his dog Monty.

And it is clear from the start that all three actors are incredible at their jobs, and again, I cannot applaud Donald Bruce enough for his brilliant puppetry and ability to stay in character as a dog throughout.

How one man can crawl around a stage with a puppet for two hours without needing to stretch is beyond me.

As the play goes on, the cast hints at other local locations along the Thames, including Reading and Marlow, while also mentioning well-known London spots like Crystal Palace and Penge.

With variety show-style songs, over-the-top movement from the characters, fart jokes, flying toy swans and a giant toy pig, and adult humour, the audience is left laughing throughout.

However, as the plot unfolds, it is clear that Three Men in a Boat presents a much deeper meaning as the friends argue and, eventually, confess their deepest, darkest secrets - mostly that they are lonely and that life isn't as good as it seems.

Now, having previously watched Weldon in the Disney+ series Rivals, I was not surprised how fitting the actor is to the overly-enthusiastic campness of the play, but I was thrilled to see how good he is at both acting on stage and singing.

In fact, all three actors, particularly Barbé, are incredible at singing - especially as they are forced to sing in their character's old-English style accents.

However, having previously seen David-Caine in ITV's Finding Alice, I was pleasantly surprised at how equally well-suited he was to this camp, farce-like stage production.

Though I must say, his best moment was his soliloquy about the death of his wife, which brought the audience to a silent stillness, much different to their continuous laughter throughout the majority of the show.

And I must give Barbé high praise, as her ability to play a man so well makes her character incredibly believable.

Though her best point is definitely the moment when she pretends to be Harris' fiancée Petronella (as Harris) and gets a cheer from the women in the audience supporting the stress that comes with the traditional role of a nurturing woman.

I was also highly impressed by how many lines all three actors had to learn and remember, especially when Weldon recounts Harris' story of the cheesy urn at high speed.

But, as I have mentioned, Donald-Bruce absolutely stole the show with his ability to transform Monty from a mere dog puppet into an actual character with a personality.

It truly is an excellent show, and this was presented in the standing ovation given by the audience at the end of Wednesday's performance - I would highly recommend that if you have not yet seen the production; buy a ticket asap.

It is simple yet silly and filled with eccentric British wit, and it balances humour with general deep personal reflection.

Though with adult humour, sexual innuendos and some swearing, I would not recommend you bring the little ones.

Three Men in a Boat is running at Kingston's Rose Theatre until Saturday, 10 October, and tickets can be booked via the Rose's website here.