Raymond Briggs – “The Bear” at The Hawth Crawley Review
Raymond Briggs
“The Bear”
The Hawth, Crawley
18-19 January 2017
Reviewed by Louise Watts
I attended The Hawth with my 8 year old daughter to see Pins and Needles adaptation of the book “The Bear” by Raymond Briggs. The Bear is a beautiful story about imagination, fantasy and love between a little girl and a bear. Tilly lives with her parents and goes to bed one evening as usual but then her night takes an unusual turn when she is visited by a beautiful polar bear. The story follows the adventures she gets up to with “Bear” over the next day, including dressing up, cleaning up Bear’s poo and wee and giving him a bath – all of which leave a trail of destruction behind them which Tilly has to sort out! Her parents never get to see Bear and believe it is all in Tilly’s imagination and it is her causing all the mess. Eventually Bear heads back to his home which leaves Tilly feeling very sad but Bear finds happiness with a baby Bear – a truly lovely ending.
I had not read the book so I went to see the show unaware of the story, but it is an absolutely beautiful story which was portrayed outstandingly by Pins and Needles. The small cast of 3 – Tilly, her Mum and her Dad were brilliant and played their parts to perfection. Bear was a puppet and had the most beautiful face. You could almost see his emotions on display with the way he was controlled… incredible!
The show took place in The Studio at The Hawth – a small, intimate theatre which holds about 120 people. The set was small and simple but flexible, adaptable and most of all believable. There were some simple but effective songs which pulled the audience in and was assisted at times with some bubbles, foam and the odd drop of water.
There was no interval and the running time was 1 hour. The audience was full of children from tiny babies to primary school children, all of whom were captivated by this incredible bear. My favourite bit without a doubt was Bear in the bath… so good it was realistic!
I was a little worried my daughter would be too old for this but she absolutely loved it, as did I if I am honest. It was innocent, fun, captivating and a truly endearing show of love between Tilly and Bear despite his mischievous behaviour! A true family show and I would have no doubt in recommending it to anyone with children under the age of 10 years old.
The Hawth as always was a lovely venue. The bar was open for drinks and coffees and there is a vending machine for snacks. The staff are always polite and helpful and the atmosphere is always pleasant. Parking is easy on site and free which is always a bonus!
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost £7.50 (Family of Four £26)
Raymond Briggs – “The Bear” is at The Hawth in Crawley until 19 January 2017. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01293 553636.
The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, Sussex, RH10 6YZ | 01293 553636
