“The Everywhere Bear” at Little Angel Theatre – 10/02/24

Credit Steve Gregson

This is the second time I’ve been to see “The Everywhere Bear” so please forgive me if I repeat myself. I feel like I do that a lot anyway. The first time was during a particularly traumatic week in 2018 when Eva had just had some bad news the day before, so she and I sobbed through the whole thing pretty much. This time, Eva didn’t make it as she’s been a bit under the weather so I was missing my empathy buddy but also, I think I was a bit more stoic on the second viewing. Hey, even Toy Story 3 stopped making me cry after the 36th time of watching.

So by all of that you might discern that this is a bit of a heartwrenching tale. And it is – the themes of loss and reunion are particularly poignant if you are going through tricky times but it will pull on pretty much everyone’s heartstrings. I think I said in the 2018 version that smaller kids may not be quite so emotionally invested as the older ones and I stand by this….the show is aimed at 3-8-year-olds and I certainly didn’t see any preschoolers bawling about the fragility of life so I think it works on different levels. If you do happen to be the parent of kids who are no longer of Class 1 age and you’re feeling nostalgic, then you might find it hits differently to watching the same show with a 6-year-old. That might all be specific to me.

Credit Steve Gregson

Don’t let me trick you into thinking this is a dark or overly ponderous show tho – there is plenty of light and fun to be had, from the copious fish puns to the rhyming librarian. The songs are mostly upbeat and cheerful with a few more poignant numbers thrown in there too. The scene where the stage is transformed into an ocean is particularly moving, as the shimmering material across the front of the stage gives a lovely watery illusion and it’s accompanied by a song which I think is called “Lost!”. It is a strangely calm moment in the middle of a busy 45 minutes and there was a hush across the audience, even from the smallest members.

Credit Steve Gregson

If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s a very realistic one about a class bear who goes missing. I say realistic because I think that happens to a lot of class bears – we certainly dropped the class dog at the bus stop in Hackney Downs and had to go back from him. When I say “class dog”, I should clarify that it was a toy dog. Not even Eva could leave a real dog at a bus stop. But every parent knows that feeling of dread when a beloved toy goes missing (“Mater lost!”) and this play captures that feeling across a whole class who all love the same toy. Of course, the less realistic bit is that the toy returns of its own accord and isn’t just replaced with a lookalike from Amazon but that is the magic of the theatre.

Credit Steve Gregson

There is – naturally – a bit of peril that the kids have to deal with but it’s interspersed with all those lighter moments I mentioned earlier and it never gets overly scary. The actors –  Lottie Johnson and Calum Bruce – keep the show flowing with a lot of energy and are a reassuring presence any time the bear is in trouble. I think I mentioned last time as well that the two actors have a lot of work to do during those 45 minutes. As well as acting and advanced puppeteering (have you ever seen a puppet iceskate?), they also sing all the songs and act as stagehands, transforming the set from a classroom to a set of roadworks to the aforementioned ocean to a boat to a fish shop and…you get the idea. Like all Little Angel productions, the set design is impeccable and uses different sides of the same pieces to create all these scenes, which makes the best use of the small stage. It’s an intimate space but it’s incredible how much can be done with some Little Angel ingenuity.

Credit Steve Gregson

So the performers have a lot to juggle but never seem to miss a beat. They transition seamlessly from character to character, blending into the background when the puppets take centre stage. A small child behind me kept demanding to know “what’s that lady’s name?” but I couldn’t tell her. She was Mrs McAllister a moment ago but now she’s a fisherwoman.

Overall then, a sweet and poignant story with a lot of heart and plenty of comedy along the way. I’d say the age recommendation is about right – its short run time means that 3-year-olds will probably be able to stay engaged but the deeper themes have something to offer the older kids as well.

“The Everywhere Bear” runs until 14th April. For tickets and more info, click here.

Disclaimer: I received free tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own. 

Credit Steve Gregson