This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub: https://www.thereviewshub.com/the-lodger-old-red-lion-theatre-london/

A dastardly killer is on the loose in Victorian London in this terrifically inventive adaptation of Marie Belloc-Lowndes’ novel.

This production, part of the Flywheel repertory season at the theatre, where the company of six is performing six plays in six weeks,, not only uses the novel as a source but also draws strong inspiration from the Alfred Hitchcock 1927 film adaptation, and closely and sincerely pays homage to the silent movie in this portrayal. The play, coming in at just under an hour, blends a predominantly mimed production with some sharp uses of necessary dialogue as well as some beautifully created shadow puppetry to throw us into the murderous streets of the capital.

It’s also physically demanding on its performers. Under Jack Robertson’s direction (who also plays Mr Bunting), the cast moves from scene to scene mostly in silence, relying heavily on gestures and melodrama for effect. Keziah Hayes’ Daisy is the typical damsel-in-distress blonde who seems fated to fall foul of the elusive murderer, The Avenger. Hayes’ portrayal leans into Daisy’s provocative and flirtatious ways well, and this not only contrasts her gormless father (Robertson) and hapless Detective Chandler (Gabriel Lumsden) amusingly but also blends well with the mercurial lodger, Sleuth (Charlie Woodward), who falls under suspicion.

Woodward’s presence is effective in creating a character who is instantly unnerving, shrouded almost permanently in fog, which only furthers the melodrama. Yet it’s his strange relationship with Daisy’s cold stepmother, Ellen (Rachel Bardwell), which is the most intriguing, with Bardwell garnering a lot of power and presence from a flick of the eyes or a curled lip, vital in a performance such as this.

While the piece is strongly held together by its cast, it is also enhanced by its slick design. The play promotes itself, promising an awful amount of fog, and this eerie quality, combined with the theatre’s intimate space, really lands and does evoke a jump scare or two.

Meanwhile, this adaptation leans greatly into its silent movie predecessor, and the decision to remove a piece of the curtain and replace it with sepia cellophane for shadow puppetry (operated by Sadie Pepperrell and Benedict Hastings)is an inspired choice. Initially a little goofy, the design quickly becomes a deft choice in helping the play shift from location to location, but also helping it get out of logistical difficulty as it reaches its climax. Though Hitchcock’s thrillers are often genuinely unsettling, they are also melodramatic and on the edge of bemusing, and again, the shadow puppetry works well to bring a good level of humour too. One particularly scene, where a character reflects on the words of their deceased mother, is particularly effective and amusing, here.

Although a little too brief by the end, and with a climax that is thrilling but ever so slightly rushed, this is an ambitious production that largely lands. The Lodger blends the sense of ghoulishness that such novels and films evoke while retaining a slapstick comedy that keeps the piece gliding. The notion of rep theatre is that pieces come and go, yet it would be a shame if, like The Avenger’s victims, we were not to see this again.