★★

“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.

BONES at the Park Theatre

★★★★

“Cullen is excellent as Ed, at once physically strong and heart-wrenchingly vulnerable”

Bones opens in the middle of a rugby match, bodies hurtling across the grassy stage. Actors grapple and slam each other to the floor, centimetres from the audience who are sat thrillingly close in the intimate Park90 space. Ed (Ronan Cullen) describes the thrill of a scrum, and it feels like the front row might be called up to flank the defence.

Bones invites the audience to become one of the lads, as it tackles mental health and masculinity within a rugby club. The plot follows a young man, Ed, who is isolating himself from his close-knit team. His mates, including level-headed Charlie (Samuel Hoult) and the swaggering Will (Ainsley Fannen) grow concerned at his erratic behaviour but struggle to communicate outside of jabbing pub banter. As a crucial match looms, Ed’s interactions with his friends, a doctor and his father suggest a more serious unravelling.

Cullen is excellent as Ed, at once physically strong and heart-wrenchingly vulnerable. James Mackay completes the ensemble, responsible for portraying multiple minor characters who are depicted by adding different shirts over the rugby strip sported by the rest of the cast. The most significant of these is Ed’s father and Mackay and Cullen have a touching, tender closing scene.

Bones makes the most of theatre in the round, with the set a simple square of AstroTurf. The closeness of the audience emphasises the claustrophobia of Ed’s struggles: the proximity means you see every drop of sweat beading on the actors’ faces.

Lighting and two spartan benches are cleverly deployed to move scenes between the rugby field, the pub, and Ed’s house. A rugby ball spewing chalk is utilised creatively through the climax, though I did leave with my trousers spotted with white powder.

The production is from Redefine, a company co-founded by ex-athletes and theatrical movement practitioners. This partnership reaps benefits in affrontingly physical match sequences that illustrate the parallels between Ed’s physical and mental pain. This is the piece’s second outing after a run at the Theatre Peckham in May 2022. It has been extended to 75 minutes and has an updated sound design (Eliza Willmott). Atmospheric synths back intense, acrobatic scenes, though actors occasionally lose the battle to make sure every line is heard.

The writing is worth straining to hear, with Lewis Aaron Wood’s script regularly serving up belly-laugh one-liners, especially for chief jester Will. This character’s transformation is one of the more interesting strands within the play; his early ripostes encroach on bullying territory, though he is the first to learn how to engage with crisis-mode Ed. Fannen deftly navigates this complexity so it does not jar. He delivers one of the most poignant lines: he challenges the generally more sensitive Charlie as to whether Charlie should want to be proven right, or let a contentious point go to support a friend. Moments like this elevate the piece, which sensitively explores the frustrations of engaging with those facing mental health struggles.

The conclusion of Bones may be too sentimental for some, with the optimistic ending avoiding the grittier reality of mental health care available within the UK. However, Redefine have stated their ambition to show recordings of Bones to rugby clubs across the country, where the play’s hopeful message is likely most novel.

There is enough sporting pedigree behind the show to ensure irregular theatre goers should not feel patronised by theatre creeping on their turf, whilst the quality script, strong direction from Redefine co-founder Daniel Blake, and intense physical performances give a thespian crowd plenty to enjoy.

THE GOOD LANDLORD

Omnibus Theatre

★★

“There are some pertinent lines and astute observations”

THE GOOD LANDLORD

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed on 18th November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Amrit Kaur

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE GOOD LANDLORD

THE GOOD LANDLORD

THE GOOD LANDLORD

BONES at the Park Theatre

★★★★

“Cullen is excellent as Ed, at once physically strong and heart-wrenchingly vulnerable”

Bones makes the most of theatre in the round, with the set a simple square of AstroTurf. The closeness of the audience emphasises the claustrophobia of Ed’s struggles: the proximity means you see every drop of sweat beading on the actors’ faces.

Lighting and two spartan benches are cleverly deployed to move scenes between the rugby field, the pub, and Ed’s house. A rugby ball spewing chalk is utilised creatively through the climax, though I did leave with my trousers spotted with white powder.

Reviewed on 10th July 2023

by Rosie Thomas

Photography by Charles Flint

Previously reviewed at this venue:

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