THE GOOD LANDLORD

Omnibus Theatre

★★

“There are some pertinent lines and astute observations”

Landlordism has existed for a very long time and has always had a bad press. Historically it was viewed as a means for unearned income for a class of parasitic landlords, but in today’s society the negativism is much stronger. Landlordism is associated with high rents, the housing crisis, homelessness, and the spin off problems of poor living conditions and mental health. There is no denying that it is a deeply ingrained problem with political origins, one that recent governments have arguably failed to address. Ethan and Kalman Dean-Richards, however, tackle the subject head on – with no apologies – in their new play, “The Good Landlord”.

Drawn from their own experiences with renting, the play is an absurdist take that holds up a pretty fractured mirror to the stories we are likely to hear on the news. Jack (Jason Adam) is facing eviction by his ruthless landlord, Marianne (Julia Winwood), for nonpayment of rent. Jack’s girlfriend apparently left him in the lurch, but that is an underexplored sideline. Slightly dim-witted Sean (Blayne Kelly) has been roped in by Jack to concoct a scheme to thwart the imminent eviction by subletting. The pair will pretend to be landlord and letting agent to lure an unsuspecting tenant into renting a cupboard in the flat. In walks Sony (Caroline Gray), over eager to humiliate herself and fall for the scam. Yes – she is not what she seems. We learn that she is a mystery shopper – a social media sensation known as the ‘Bad Tenant’ – on a maniacal mission to expose rogue landlords. Nay, not just expose, but explode (quite literally). It is at this point, however, that the drama implodes.

It looks like the play could be a farce of sorts but, even at a slim seventy-five minutes, it is somewhat drawn out – like one of those pop-ups, clickbait videos that frustrates with its repeated stalling. The writers appear to have aimed for absurdism. A kind of creative chaos. Yet the result is simply a bit of a mess. It is true that humour is a powerful method of getting people to listen, but the message here is swamped in exaggerated performances and an autocratic self-righteousness. We want more of a soap opera, but we get soapbox protestations. Yusuf Niazi’s direction allows a semi-improvised approach which we are never absolutely sure is intentional.

Confusion extends to the performances. Kelly’s hyperventilating Sean swiftly descends into a catatonic, mute and inexplicable portrayal while Adam, as Jack, delivers with no noise gate or compression. Gray is suitably quirky as Sony while Winwood’s Marianne is quietly befuddled and underused. All four resemble headless chickens at some point or other. Despite the lack of nuance, there are some neat touches. A Black and Decker drill is brandished like Chekhov’s gun, and previous connections between the characters are cleverly revealed. But, overall, the characters’ motivations are too dubious and extreme to gain our sympathy, even if we might agree with their reasoning.

It is an admirable project, backed by renter’s union Acorn, and Ethan and Kalman Dean-Richards can truly be applauded for highlighting the serious issues. “The Good Landlord” definitely plays on the caricature of landlords and letting agents to great effect. There are some pertinent lines and astute observations. This could be quite an incendiary exposé, full of dark humour, but the approach and execution is clumsy and disorganised, and has a simplistic preachiness beneath the chaos that is off-putting. Like its subject, “The Good Landlord” needs more regulating.

THE GOOD LANDLORD

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed on 18th November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Amrit Kaur

Previously reviewed at this venue:

JULIUS CAESAR | ★★★★ | October 2025

THE ENDLESS HOTEL | ★½ | October 2025

CUL-DE-SAC | ★★★ | May 2025

BLOOD WEDDING | ★★★★ | May 2025

THE GUEST | ★★★★★ | April 2025

VANYA IS ALIVE | ★★★★ | February 2025

THE ICE AT THE END OF THE WORLD | ★★★★ | September 2024

MY LIFE AS A COWBOY | ★★★ | August 2024

THE GOOD LANDLORD

★★★★

“an uneasy story that keeps you anxious about what happens next”

Ed and Tom are stunned when estate agent Clarissa tells them the rent for the incredible central London flat they’re viewing is just £400 each. Tom wants to know what the catch is. Ed isn’t bothered (who cares! There’s a view of Big Ben from the window!). It’s then Tom notices cameras in the ceilings of every room (bedroom and bathroom included). Clarissa says they’re for security purposes: the landlord likes to make sure nothing untoward goes on in the building. Tom is far from convinced. Ed doesn’t mind: if someone wants to watch him, that’s their business. He has nothing to hide. Meanwhile, Clarissa’s new PA, Bryony, finds herself in trouble after she questions the landlord’s motives.

The premise of The Good Landlord, Metamorph Theatre’s first in-house production, invokes some interesting questions about privacy in the social media age. Have daily ‘check ins’ and ‘stories’ desensitised us to being monitored? Are we primed for a surveillance state? In this sense, the premise is somewhat misleading. The show is far more absurdist dark comedy than general social-political commentary. Ed’s comfort with being watched isn’t because he’s a ‘plugged in’ millennial; it’s because he has an exhibition fetish. The mysterious landlord is less Big Brother and more lone perv. Besides the unaffordability of housing (which the play may be one long joke about), writer Michael Ross leaves current issues in the background: it’s up to the viewer to connect them (or not).

If The Good Landlord is not sermonising social criticism, it is a delightfully weird comedy where it feels like anything can happen. Realism is almost entirely abandoned as the characters dive into evocative spoken word that echoes surreally around the Cavern space at The Vaults. Ed’s fantasies of seducing the ever-watching landlord nonsensically overlap with his delusions of MI5 observing him for recruitment purposes. Clarissa bizarrely speaks in screenplay metaphors. Their monologues are tangential crescendos, but Ross adeptly prevents them from derailing the plot. It’s an uneasy story that keeps you anxious about what happens next.

Rupert Sadler’s (Ed) bombastic affect is a main source of humour as his character gradually spirals into the outrageous. Phoebe Batteson-Brown (Clarissa) brings most of the darkness to the comedy with her syrup-coated threats. Maximillian Davey nails Tom’s insecurity, and Tiwalade Ibirogba Olulode (Bryony) anchors the show with her earnest portrayal. Tom and Bryony are caught between Ed’s insanity and Clarissa’s villainy – two powerful forces the sincerer characters struggle to fight. Perhaps doing the right thing is always a losing battle in an insane, cruel world.

If you’re looking for a modern 1984 in the aftermath of the Facebook data-sharing scandal, this isn’t that play. However, audiences who are willing to check reality in at the door, step into a world of dark, outlandish humour, and draw their own conclusions will find plenty to enjoy in The Good Landlord.

Reviewed by Addison Waite

Photography courtesy Metamorph Theatre

Tag Archives: The Good Landlord

THE GOOD LANDLORD

★★

Omnibus Theatre

THE GOOD LANDLORD

Omnibus Theatre

★★

“There are some pertinent lines and astute observations”