Stage review: The Bear

That thing was investing in a theatre show while having no clue if it was going to work. The theatre – because of the way it is funded – was able to spend years working with a South African puppet company to see if it was possible to bring the Michael Morpurgo novel War Horse to life. It could have crashed and burned: but it soared and took the name of British theatre around the world, generating while doing so, several millions of pounds, a Steven Spielberg movie and award nominations everywhere it went.

The Bear , performed at West Yorkshire Playhouse, with a cast of three, benefits from the confidence in this kind of show that War Horse created.

Raymond Briggs’ story, about a young girl who is awoken one night by a giant white bear climbing into her bedroom window, has been brought beautifully and thoughtfully to life by Bristol theatre company Pins and Needles. Briggs’ even more loved story of Father Christmas was also staged at the Playhouse by the same company and magic clearly happens when this theatre troupe puts the work of Briggs on stage. The puppetry which brings the Bear of the title to life is spectacular in its simplicity and beautiful in its execution.

Naomi Stafford plays Tilly, the little girl awoken by a bear, with a lovely exuberance, while Suzanne Nixon plays mother and Dan Gingell, father. Crucially, mother and father also play The Bear. Puppetry barely gets more simple or effective. With very little work and minimal actual bear model, they create the magic of the bear taking a bath, climbing around a bedroom and wrecking a kitchen. Adults marvel at the theatre on show and children are convinced they have seen a bear come to life. Something really special.