Directed by Sasha Ivanova, Bear portrays the tale of a Girl (Elouise Wills) who gets attacked by a Bear when lost in the woods – but when she’s “saved” by her knight in shining armour, is she really safer in the hands of a Man (Peter Hardisty)? As is said in the play, “The biggest, scariest animal is a human, [which can be] crueler than any animal”.
Priya Rose Toberman’s writing is scarily accurate when representing the reality of being a woman in the modern day. With allusions of violence against women, the script doesn’t unnecessarily push the theme too much in our faces – highlighting the unjust reality that women are forced to treat sexual assault as the “norm”. Toberman’s script also discusses the importance of female friendships to unite together under this androcentric society.
There is a magnificent balance of music, sound, and set design (seemingly simple at first, but becoming increasingly scarier as time goes on) which are well-done. It all suitably fits the acting and dialogue, which are similar to Little Red Riding Hood, as “Predators always know their prey”.
It would be foolish to not mention the two actors’ extraordinary acting, ranging from Wills’ shrilling scream at sight of the Bear, to Hardisty’s manipulative male persona utilizing self-victimization to guilt trip the Girl – embodying the character of Man perfectly. I felt uncomfortable watching the interactions between them, with the tension building so high that the audience jumped at the sound of the Man’s gunshot.
I have to state that it’s a shame that the venue’s fan drowns out some of their dialogue, but once you get fully into the performance, the sound is soon drowned out by a focus on the impeccable acting and storyline.
The ending finishes on a positive note, with the Man being mauled by the Bear offstage. It arises the question of whether this is a true positive ending for the Girl, as does it mean the only possible solution for a woman to survive is for the man to die? Bringing us back to the question: Man or Bear?
Bear is running until 23rd August at Fern Studio at Greenside @ George Street.
Buy tickets here.
Image by Freddie Houlahan, provided to The Student as press.