Review: The Lodger, Camden People’s Theatre

The Lodger consists of multiple tales about an old woman, a child, a young woman (Dora Colquhoun) and a pianist/singer (George Jenkins). The show begins with all of the props on the set, covered by a white cloth which Colquhoun removes as she moves throughout the performance. There is no plot as such, but rather a series of events which Colquhoun remembers, from the time she was a child collecting rocks in the wilderness, to being very excited about getting a job dressing up in a pigeon costume, to the disappointment of being dismissed from the job, to living with an older woman who consistently complains about her company.

This is not a production to be watched as a narrative play, but rather as a dream-like poem interpreted through the forms of spoken word, dance and song. While The Lodger certainly contains content which reflects the realistic world outside of the performance, including remarks on the housing crisis, loneliness and skills for survival, the way it presents that content is not at all in the form of realism, but rather a form of surrealism with a touch of expressionism.

The Lodger is a contemporary production that seems to follow in the footsteps of dream-like previous productions which preceded it. Artistic movements such as the surrealist movement of the 1920s and the Dadaist movement after WWI seem to echo through the performance, with fluidity between what is real and what is fantasy, as if Salvador Dali himself wrote part of the script.

The Lodger is undoubtedly strange; at certain points in the show Colquhoun dons a deer mask and proceeds to become the character of the deer itself. At other times she wears the mask as a metaphor for the ‘mask’ she must wear as a means of protection, to feel safe in a world which is very difficult and never seems to make sense. 

We never know where we are headed with The Lodger, nor what Colquhoun is about to do, say or sing next. This is a show which advertises itself with phrases such as ‘in the end do we really ever own anything?’ and ‘this show is for the outsiders, the weirdos, the square pegs, anybody who has questioned their sense of home and belonging.’ And the show does indeed make us question our own sense of place, in a world where reality and fantasy seem to blur into one. 

Written and Performed by: Dora Colquhoun
Composed and Performed by: George Jenkins 
Produced by: RWAD (Random Acts of Wilderness Disability)
Collaborator and Co-director: Eli Randle
Collaborator and Co-director: Izzie Major 
Stage Management by: Phoebe McSweeney
Lighting Design by: Phil Saunders 
Sound Design by: Luke Thomas

The Lodger has finished its run at the Camden People’s Theatre. It will next play at Unity Theatre in Liverpool. Further information and booking are available here.