A magical adaptation of Briggs’ book
The Bear, Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre
IN a word, this adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ 1994 children’s book The Bear by theatre group Pins and Needles is magical.
There are many other words you could use. It is a little bit scary (in a good way), a little bit wet (well this bear does go in the bath), slightly snowy (this is a polar bear after all) and also very funny. But Raymond Briggs is perhaps best known to children across the UK through the television adaptation of his books The Snowman and Snowman and Snowdog.
And some of the most memorable moments of this adaptation of The Bear come when the three-actor show conjures the captivating sense of magic and mystery that makes those television adaptations so appealing.
The story focuses on a bubbly young Tilly who is woken from her sleep by a huge white bear who has come in through her window. This is not a giant teddy but a stunning white puppet. The bear will go on to do a poo on the floor (as well as a wee). It will trash the kitchen, bathroom and Tilly’s parents bedroom. It will have a bath and eat all the honey among other things. But the heart of the story is Tilly’s love for the bear that her parents can never (well almost never) see and her loving mother and father’s endless understanding for her.
Lucy Grattan and Benedict Chambers work their socks off as Tilly’s funny and extraordinarily tolerant parents and also the puppeteers who bring the bear to life. And Suzanne Jennings’ bubbly Tilly is at the core of the story, the link between the captivating dreamworld of The Bear and the enchanting warmth of a loving family life. This is children’s theatre at its finest, an imaginative gift to any child.
The Bear runs until December 31. Tickets £10
David James