"The Lodger" by Patrick Prior.

Ashby Dramatic Society.

Venture Theatre, Ashby de la Zouche.

Adapted from a story by Marie Belloc Lowndes, part gothic thriller, part horror story, part love story, "The Lodger" draws the audience into a dark and terrible gaslit world, which all starts in Madame Tussaud's London waxworks.

Mr and Mrs Bunting, owners of a struggling lodging house in London, finally get a break when they take in Mr Sleath, their first guest in a long time. Sleath has money, plenty of it, and looks to be the answers to the Buntings money flow issues. He is a gentleman who is well read with poetry and the bible. While Jack the Ripper stalks the East End, terror grows as the mysterious lodger prowls the night and the death toll rises.

Director Diane Crane is no stranger to Patrick Prior's plays as she has previously directed "Turn Of The Screw" back in 2023, so is used to creating atmospheric thrillers. The ending of the first act really hammered home the chill from the stage, while the ending of the play leaves you without the knowledge of what happened to the mysterious Mr Sleath..... or Jack the Ripper!

The story all starts with Mr Hopkins at Madame Tussaud's waxworks as he is rounding up the guided tour, when Mrs Bunting interrupts the commentary, announcing that the story that had just been told, may not be the full version. From this point on it becomes akin to a play within a play with occasional diversions from the story being told by both Mrs Bunting and Mr Hopkins.

Mrs Bunting is played by Rachel Wallis. You immediately feel just how world-weary Mrs Bunting is, and that shows in Rachel's face. The many years as a servant.... sorry In Service... is apparent for this character. There's a U turn in Rachel's interest and attitude surrounding the news reports in the papers after Sleath arrives. There's a conflict of interests though as the play progresses, but which way will Mrs B turn? This is the second time I've had the pleasure of seeing Rachel on stage at The Venture, after her performance in "Handbagged" earlier this year.

Mr Bunting is played by Carl Benfield. I was chatting to Carl before the show started, having never met or seen him before, and when on stage and in character, he is completely different, nothing new there with a good character actor. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good and constant accent, and Carl certainly has that in the role of Bunting. You get the feeling that it's Mrs Bunting who wears the trousers in this stage relationship, something that comes to prominence by the end of the play. 

Hopkins, the guide to the Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds in London, is played by David Hare, another actor I've seen before at The Venture. I commented in my last review of David of his comedy bones, and while this is a more serious role, there's still injections of comedy; not least in the second act when he is shadowing - in his role as narrator - Mrs Bunting on the way into town to see the doctor. I was trying to think who his delivery of the lines reminded me of, and on the drive home it struck me. If you've ever listened to the way political commentator Robert Peston uses the rise and fall of the voice to accentuate details, David seemed to use the same technique.

Sleath/The Lodger is played by Christopher Lumb, who I have been advised by Diane, first appeared at The Venture, directed by Diane, when he was about five years old in "On Golden Pond". Not that many years later, he is back playing the mysterious Mr Sleath. I saw mysterious because there is no confirmation of the connection between this Gentleman lodger and the violent murderer dubbed Jack the Ripper. I'm saying nothing and provide no spoilers but there are certain coincidences and similarities between both, but I'll leave you to make your mind up about that. Chris plays smooth, slightly jumpy and mysterious very well!

Diane also has managed to get the author Patrick, to allow her to introduce a character into the play in the form of the Newsboy, played here by Peter Robson. Peter has been involved in several productions but always backstage, but that experience has paid off and he has drummed up enough stage points to appear, not only onstage, but all over The Venture's seating areas.

Sound design and operation, as well as the lighting design and operation is by Nikki Callaghan. This is a big task but Nikki seems to have mastered both all in this one production.

Set design is by Nick Howden. Combining three different locations, the Lodger's room, the downstairs sitting room of The Buntings, as well as the waxworks and every other scene are all combined and situated by the sound design.

Mary Barker is in charge of the wardrobe department, which is superb. Sleath's costume is excellent with long coat, waistcoat, breeches and a wonderful top hat, which immediately gives you the period feel. I mention Sleath's costume but all the costumes are wonderful, depicting the social standing of all the characters.

This is a proper chiller, and there are parts that will make you jump, and let's face it, we all enjoy being made jump and feeling the hackles rise. There are jump scares to prepare for and there are several scenes that will make you feel slightly unnerved. This of course shows that everybody involved in this production have succeeded in their job.

There was a slight deviation from Patrick Prior's script though that was delivered perfectly in character by Mr Hopkins at the start of the second act. 

One noise that no actor, or audience member, wants to make them jump is the one caused by a mobile phone that was left to ring until it had run its' course, which was then followed by two message notification beeps from another phone. An announcement was given before the first act, but this was obviously completely ignored by the guilty parties, the first who may have though they would appear even more guilty if they actually switched the phone off after the first ring, so they just left it to carry on ringing for about thirty seconds, and this was someone near the front of the stage.

The step was taken to get Mr Hopkins to advise the audience from the stage about annoying noises that may distract just before the second act commenced. Unfortunately a couple more notification bleeps were audible in the second act and someone's phone near where I sat also kept flashing in the darkened auditorium. I can never understand theatre goers who can not live without having their phones being on audible for the short time that they are in the theatre. Check them in the interval or better still, switch them off and just sit back and enjoy the play that you've paid good money to see, and stop disrespecting the actors and fellow audience members. Rant over!!

"The Lodger" is at the Venture Theatre in Ashby de la Zouche until Saturday 28 September. If you fancy a Q&A session with the cast and Patrick Prior, the author, then that will be on Friday 27 September.