Lost and Foundling

MTYP’s Summer Studio—MTYP – Mainstage

The evil smiley face: that’s the logo that everyone should see when they look at the WalMart icon. When I was young, there was a local grocery store at the end of every street, and we bought our daily dinners fresh off the shelves as we came home. The large grocery stores (Dominion/Safeway/Loblaw) came along, and thanks to economies of scale, could offer the same foods at much lower prices. Plus, they had a variety that the local, corner stores could never compete with. Next came the big malls that meant you could buy everything without having to step outside as you go from store to store. All of this contributed to the death of the corner shops.

Then emerged the super-retailers: the Mega-WalMarts/Superstores/Costcos that sell everything under one roof. They use the same economies of scale to squeeze out the grocery stores. We’re at a stage now where the trifecta of WalMart/Superstore/Costco owns the majority of shoppers and it’s only people like me, who are willing to pay more to avoid the crowds, that eschew the megastores for the smaller grocery stores.

This play satirises the megastore by showing that you can live your entire life in one of these stores and never have to step foot outside. In fact, you can be born in the store and never know that a world exists outside the walls of the megamart. Moreover, this store is so large, the child (raised with the name “Price”) hasn’t even seen more than their own quadrant of the store, and travelling to the “lost and found” is like travelling to another world.

Never mind what’s outside, what scary things lie within the store itself? Fear of the unknown plays a large part in this show as well.

Finally, I count 13 actors during the curtain call. Of the 13, it looks like 85% are women/girls/female. Without seeing a face, we hear that the name of the Store Manager is Dave, and the Assistant Store Manager is named Brian. I wonder if there’s an intentional societal statement about the workplace having 85% non-men/male menial workers, but the two top positions are occupied by men?

Largely meant for a younger audience, the flow and content are sufficiently placed that adults would enjoy it too. There’s one scene that might even give some adults the creeps.

Ray Yuen

Lost and Foundling

MTYP’s Summer Studio—MTYP – Mainstage

Lost and Foundling follows the adventures of Price whose entire life has been spent in a Super Price Mart. She is a foundling being lovingly raised by naïve but well-meaning staff. Price is bright, plucky and determined to explore her world including the mystery of “the line”, the terror of the “slasher”, the threat of the “demanding shopper”, and the siren song of sample tables. The young company is tight and the material humorous and touching. MTYP Summer Studio handles complicated choreography with ease and delivers everything you were looking for in a good Fringe show. It truly is thoughtful, funny and kind.

Barbara Fawcett