Bears is a delightful little piece of theatre. Jonathan Dickson (Growl Bear) and Nick Abeel (Timmy Bear) set the stage perfectly as two zoo bears living in a post apocalyptic America. The dialogue is quick witted and fun with lots of laughs. But there are also some really poignant and serious scenes with Growl Bear (Jonathan Dickson) reminiscing about times past. Jenna Panther does a wonderful job playing Susie Wild Bear, scoffing at the "civilized" nonsense of her zoo bear companions.
The tensions between wild and civilized are thoughtfully and creatively played out between the three bears. Civilization has broken down and yet there's still an effort to hold on to the past, to maintain and hopefully pass it on. But the stark reality of a life where food is no longer easy to come by and the pangs of hunger are all to real makes the wild life of a bear greatly appealing.
Throughout it all there's lots of great dialogue between the bears who use English but don't necessarily understand it. Growl Bear figures out how to use a radio but he doesn't quite get why the radio gets quieter over time (dead batteries).
The only minor criticism I have is that Nick Abeel (Timmy Bear) seemed to forget or stumble over his lines a number of times. This was only a minor distraction and I have to say he was great at never missing a beat. Despite the stumbles he repeatedly made it work, and I have no doubt he'll get past that in future shows.
Overall this is a wonderfully crafted, well written show with a talented cast. It was a joy to watch with plenty of laughs throughout. You'll definitely want to catch this gem of a play at 59 East 59th Street Theatres. It runs from now to March 31st. You can find ticket information by clicking here.
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