Shepherd’s Bush’s Westfield shopping centre may have anything you could possibly ask for under one roof, but now there’s nearby competition from the Bush theatre, which has been transformed into a bustling marketplace by immersive theatre company Theatre Delicatessen.
Like all good delis, Theatre Delicatessen serves up a host of delights for you to relish throughout your shopping trip. Most of them are of course theatrical treats – though there are a few edible ones thrown in too – which are performed by more than 20 companies within the expanse of the theatre’s premises.
As performers roam the building vying for your attention, you can barter for the goods on offer, before parting with the amount you feel each experience is worth. Not one for the faint-hearted, the Bush Bazaar permits you to be curious and get involved so that you make the most of those all important pennies.
So what can you expect to get for your money? Well, to name but a few, there are opportunities to run around a stage with a toy pig on your head, sit blindfolded as the smell of cooked meat emanates from an unusual dinner party, count the number of coins on a naked woman, write a story about pineapples and penguins, and smash plates against a wall.
Bizarre would certainly be a good way to describe the Bush Bazaar. Filling every inch of the venue, from the dressing rooms to the garden, the interactive theatrical experience brings a whole new meaning to spending a penny, as even the toilets become part of the unique marketplace.
While most purchases you make at a conventional deli don’t last much longer than the time it takes to guzzle a slice of cured ham or scoff a handful of stuffed olives, the wares offered by Theatre Delicatessen have a far longer shelf-life.
Whether it’s an emotive story told by a reminiscing grandson or a well-known song intro performed by a man with a plant pot, the thought-provoking, disturbing and amusing memories that you take home are likely to stay with you for a long time afterwards.