Can we escape the misdeeds of our past, do the things we regret dissipate over time or do they stay with us, shaping the way our lives unravel in front of us? Can we have more than one true love in our lives, regardless of how long our lives are? These are some of the questions asked a new piece of writing by Anita Gallo of Scottish International Productions.

Set in modern day Edinburgh Pendulum follows a few years in the life of Ellen, a woman returning to the city after travelling the world. Ellen is much older than she looks and has been gone for a long time (a few hundred years to be exact) and has returned to a home that she previously lived in when working as a maid in the 1600's.The reason for her apparent immortality becomes clear when she is visited by the ghost of her lover from that time, a man who Ellen had killed during an argument. The ghost, William, is determined that Ellen will not escape her past until she has been suitably punished for his murder and is intent on making her life with her latest lover, John, a misery.

The piece is romantic in a rather bitter way, exploring the thought that if we only have one real love, what happens when we destroy it? We would therefore probably expect an ending to reunite that love, but instead the end is a dark and refreshing one, bringing new meaning to the phrase "Till death do us part". The show opens to a soundtrack of music from all over the world, setting the scene, and although more music was used, with great effect at some key points in the show, it would have been interesting to develop the soundtrack further, especially to cover awkward costume changes. The production would have benefited from a bigger stage too, the actors seemed at times rather cramped into the set and at a few points this seemed to make them uncomfortable with their direction and, probably as a result, some of the nicest moments in the writing were rushed when there could have been lingering. It is a shame too that the team felt the need to give William a more definite Scottish accent than other characters, which seemed unnatural to the actor playing him, rather than trusting that she had illustrated this point clearly enough without it.

4-13 August 2006 at 9.00pm (60 mins)
Preview nights: 4th/5th August
PendFringe@Gateway; venue No. 7
Elm Row, Edinburgh (next to the Gateway Theatre)
Tickets: £6 / concs £4 
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 or www.edfringe.com