The usual perception of shoplifting is that it’s an activity that goes against the concept of working hard for material wealth – but if you think those are ‘weasel words’, some of the ideas and theories introduced in A Case Study of Shoplifting are worthy of Pseuds Corner, a mini-section in the satirical magazine Private Eye that revels in pretentious quotes. Lina (Mia Bennett) tends to go for larger chain stores and supermarkets rather than taking goods from independent retailers, not, of course, that this makes what she does any less worse than what it is. Ultimately, this isn’t someone taking bread and soup without paying because they will starve otherwise – and as for the actual reasons why she takes more high-end products off shelves, well, that’s complicated to say the least.
Lina puts on various personas, depending on the shoplifting target – there are entire backstories to the characters she invents, and sometimes reinvents on the go, with the overarching thing in common being that they are, at least in her mind, not the sort of person security staff in retail stores would typically suspect to be a potential shoplifter. You’d be forgiven for thinking that our Lina could do with a spell in a psychiatric unit, but there is some thought involved in what she does, such as mimicking the behaviour of genuine shoppers. For instance, we do not grab items off the shelves at speed and then run out of the shop even faster – try doing that in a department store if taking things from a section some distance from the entrance/exit and it’s a surefire way to draw attention to oneself.
The level of intrigue in Lina’s story is increased by details of her personal life: in particular, there’s her partner Grace, who still works at the pub where Lina herself once worked, and Patrick, the said pub’s landlord, who remains hospitable to Lina (perhaps because of Grace), inviting her to stop by for a free drink whenever convenient. But it is decreased, quite substantially, by some very dry inter-scene remarks, extracts, projected on video (that is, not even performed live) from what appears to be an academic conference, to which a paper on shoplifting is being presented. A woman reads out loud, without once looking up at her audience, and while there is some light amusement at her choice of pronunciation on occasion, it really did not make for compulsive viewing. At all. It didn’t help, either, that Lina was sometimes busying herself on stage whilst the video was playing on (and on, and on) – and watching her trying on some of the spoils of her exploits was more entertaining.
Such an imbalance could be fairly easily addressed by cutting out the theories and anthropology, which, from what I could deduce, had little to say as to specifically why Lina indulged in shoplifting or what it would take for her to stop. Surely she would run out of room at home at some point? Mia Bennett puts in an engaging and committed performance in a show that attempts, with varied success, to put across alternative perspectives on a pertinent contemporary issue.
Review by Chris Omaweng
The play follows Lina, a young immigrant in her mid-twenties whose UK visa has expired, over the course of a single day in London. What at first seems like an act of survival – stealing food from a grocery store – quickly escalates into a riskier, more ethically complex spree: cosmetics and hygiene products from a pharmacy, and finally, luxury clothes from a designer store. Between hauls, Lina retreats to the Queen’s Head, the pub where she used to work, reconnecting with her friend and former boss Patrick and her new love interest, Grace, both of whom are on shift. While her shoplifting appears compulsive, Lina’s actions have an intention: to be able to perform ‘Britishness’ convincingly enough to secure a marriage visa and remain in the UK.
Performed by Mia Bennett
Written and directed by Clara de la Lama
A CASE STUDY OF SHOPLIFTING
Hen & Chickens Theatre
9 to 11 October 2025
