3 STARS ***
It’s an eerie atmosphere that awaits us as myself and my fellow audience members shuffle nervously into our seats at the Lakeside Arts Centre. A creepily sparse set awaits us, compiled of a few white boxes and other random props scattered in the background while the lighting is pale and harsh. As the play begins we are greeted with Pendulums Bargain Emporium where you buy now and pay later, a world where everything is half price and doubly tempting. But at what cost?
This is what this very short play (only 50 minutes!) looks into. The small cast of the theatre company Maison Foo, Bethany Sheldon, Katherine Lowe, Matt Marks and Morgan Brind introduce us to the world of consumerism as they depict the tale of the Shoemaker and His Wife. Based loosely on the story the Elves and the Shoemaker, the small cast take on many different roles to display the Shoemaker and his Wife as they strive to make more profit in a competitive world. All four actors perform brilliantly throughout as they switch between roles effortlessly and have great chemistry between them. I was also pleasantly surprised, and a little relieved, by the amount of humour and wit interjected into the performance. At a glance the shows themes, while interesting, can appear rather serious but the heavy topic is nothing to fear – comic relief saves the day!
However, despite the humorous approach, the play inevitably delves into the darker side of our consumerist society and the greed it inspires. We follow the Shoemaker and His Wife through the Emporium as they make more and more morally questionable decisions eventually leading to the grim world of child labour. This makes us stop and wonder: where did those cheap and cheerful Primark pumps in the wardrobe come from?
It is a very interesting descent with many profoundly bizarre performance methods and props used along the way. The wigged mannequin head representing the Wife is one such oddity, but it is used weirdly effectively, as are the other puppets used in the play. Other elements thrown in such as shadow manipulation, the odd musical number and a random accordion accompaniment also contribute towards making this a very memorable play.
As interesting as this play is, it is definitely an acquired taste and if you’re craving an evening of light entertainment this probably isn’t the one for you. Tickets are also unfortunately a little pricey for the student budget. But if you enjoy the bizarre and thought provoking, Maison Foo are your guys!
Watch the trailer here!
Image sources:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/Home/Events/Images
http://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/Drama/ViewEvent.html?e=2662&c=4&d=0