The Lodger (Salford Arts Theatre)

As a loyal Hitchcock fan, I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about watching 1956 Theatre’s performance of Hitchcock’s classic silent thriller, The Lodger. Whilst I found their last production, Juke Box Baby highly entertaining, it takes a daring playwright (or two) to rework the famous 1927 mystery into a humorous physical comedy. Thankfully, they succeeded.

Adapted by Danny Whittle and Lee Lomas, The Lodger tells the story of Mr. Drew, an eccentric tenant staying in the spare room of Mr. and Mrs. Bunting. A local serial killer, known only as ‘The Avenger’ is on the loose and Mr. Drew fits the description. As tongues start to wag and suspicions rise, Mr. Drew finds himself under the watchful eye of Detective Joe Chandler. But is he guilty?

Innovative, daring and a little daft in places, Whittle and Lomas have done a decent job of turning the gripping thriller into a farcical style comedy. The performance takes a while to get going and some of physical aspects felt a little too exaggerated at times but once it warmed up, Whittle and Lomas’ witty script started to shine through.

Bradley Cross is excellent as Mr. Drew, the oddball lodger who has a particular penchant for killing off brunettes. His flair for making the audience laugh with his physical gestures and silly facial expressions comes in handy as most of his scenes were acted in silence. One particular scene in which Cross acts out his ‘escape’ has the audience in stiches, as does his humorous ‘fight’ scene with Detective Joe Chandler.

Emma Fernell as Daisy Bunting, Graham Eaglesham as Arthur Bunting and Julie Hannan as Marie Bunting are all strong in the supporting roles. The star performer however is Danny Whittle as Detective Joe Chandler. His witty one-liners, dry sense of humour and impressive Scottish accent makes him stand out from the rest of the cast.

The Lodger is the third and penultimate play in 1956 Theatre’s ambitious rep season, which sees the versatile cast perform four plays in four weeks.

Daft, daring and downright silly, The Lodger is a funny, physical adaptation of Hitchcock’s classic thriller. It may not be as frightening but it’s certainly entertaining.

The Lodger runs until Saturday 25th October.