Pendulums Bargain Emporium

Photographer: Robert Day

Magical realism took centre stage in Pendulums Bargain Emporium last Friday at Lakeside Arts Centre.

Post their acclaimed 2013 Edinburgh Festival run and pre-their UK-wide tour, the Maison Foo Theatre Company, who are also known for their sell out - and equally well-named - Memoirs of a Biscuit Tin, are showcasing Pendulums Bargain Emporium, a performance based on consumerism that addresses the worldwide ‘throwaway’ nature of purchases, our buy now, pay later attitude and the ease with which we get ourselves into debt.

Although not the most hard hitting of plays, Pendulums was able to set out the above issues in an accessible way, which was both interesting for audience members who don’t tend to think about the UK’s throwaway society, and fun for those that do. 

We entered into Lakeside’s auditorium to the smell of cheap perfume and an overenthusiastic sales person spraying scent over guests. As the play started this sales person was incorporated into the play, becoming one of the four actors responsible for the entire performance. All of the actors were obviously very comfortable with their material and were able to slip between storylines very easily, with a great chemistry between them to boot. 

The set was kept very simple but the props they did have were versatile in their application. A stock crate for the Emporium in one scene fluidly became a cage in another, and the use of a mannequin, which formed part of a main plot element, was spot on. I was especially pleased with the shadow puppetry, which I’ve always been a bit partial to. Call it a throwback from childhood - they were all the rage in the eighties.

Photographer: Robert Day

The play was relatively short, coming in at around fifty minutes, which was about the right length for the story: however, I could have happily sat there for twice the length and immersed myself in another helping from the Emporium.  

The only downfall in the play, which I hope will be quickly ironed out, was the link between the main plotline, based on The Elves and The Shoemaker tale, and the first part of the play. We were left wondering how the two related to each other; was the shoemaker a former client, a designer, or possibly just someone they’d heard about on the grapevine? Despite this, Pendulums Bargain Emporium was a great night out, and I’m definitely keeping my eyes out for further performances from the group.

Pendulums Bargain Emporium played at the Lakeside Arts Theatre on Friday 3 October 2014.