Kingston's Rose Theatre has today (Tuesday, 28 July) announced the full cast and creative team for its next production, Three Men in a Boat, a riotous new comedy written by Al Smith, with original songs by Tony Award nominee Grant Olding (One Man, Two Guvnors), based on the classic novel by Jerome K. Jerome.

The production will play at the Rose Theatre from Friday, 18 September to Saturday, 10 October 2026 .

Three Men in a Boat is the latest production directed by Rose Theatre's Artistic Director Christopher Haydon, after the success of Ava Pickett's hilarious 21st-century adaptation of Emma.

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.

The creative team joining Smith, Olding (who also serves as Musical Director and Sound Designer) and Haydon includes John Nicholson (Movement Director & Comedy Consultant), Simon Kenny (Set & Costume Designer), Simisola Majekodunmi (Lighting Designer), Juliet Horsley CDG (Casting Director), Chris Pirie (Puppetry Director), Claudette Williams (Voice & Dialect Coach) and Rebecca Wear (Associate Director - Drama League Rose Directing Fellow).

Speaking about the new production, Christopher Haydon, Rose Theatre's Artistic Director and Director of Three Men in a Boat, said: "This beloved novel is over 130 years old, and when I first read it I genuinely couldn't believe how much it made me laugh!

"We commissioned Al Smith who has written a wonderful new stage adaptation, and what he's come up with is very, very funny; it's a mixture of verbal wit and physical comedy, and it's going to be very moving as well.

"It's just so brilliant to be telling a story that begins right here in Kingston upon Thames. We've brought on a brilliant composer in Grant Olding; whose work I loved on One Man, Two Guvnors.

"So, what had originally started out as a play has transformed into a play with songs. Grant is writing a series of comic musical numbers that also serve a key narrative purpose in the show."

John Nicholson, Movement Director & Comedy Consultant, added: "There's very little time that goes by in this show where something doesn't go catastrophically wrong.

"Anyone that enjoys physical comedy, whether that's the Marx Brothers or Laurel and Hardy or Steve Martin, will have a really great time."

The production's synopsis reads: "Jerome, George and Harris are lifelong pals. Whenever one is in a spot of bother the others will always jump in to help him out.

"So what could possibly go wrong as they set out on a carefree boat trip up the Thames - from leafy Kingston to Oxford's dreaming spires? Nothing at all.

"Except torrential rain, alarmingly eccentric dogs and a bout of hallucination brought on by some of the most dangerously rancid cheese ever cultivated. This is a rollicking story of three men, one boat and three dozen angry swans.

"Directed by Christopher Haydon (Emma), with original songs by Tony Award nominee Grant Olding (One Man, Two Guvnors) and physical comedy created by John Nicholson (Tweedy's Massive Circus), this world premiere of Al Smith's new comedy brings Jerome K. Jerome's classic novel to hilarious life.

"A celebration of abiding friendship and calamitous adventure, this is Jeeves and Wooster meets Apocalypse Now.

Tickets are on sale now and can be booked via the Rose's website here.

The production of Three Men in a Boat is supported by Kingston University, London.