'The Everywhere Bear' review or 'Lost and found.'

The Everywhere Bear - after Julia Donaldson's book
Polka Theatre, 20th July 2018
Written for Guardian online

The Everywhere Bear sits on a shelf in Class One. He’s so tiny you could easily miss him. At first, three-year old Ceci – who’s joining me for this show – barely notices the Everywhere Bear. She’s far too busy jostling with other kids or scanning the set. But this production has been created by the same team behind the gently captivating The Paper Dolls, and it isn’t long before Ceci is locked into Everywhere Bear’s story.

The show is drawn from Julia Donaldson’s children’s book and the real strength of Peter Glanville’s adaptation is that it never tries too hard to be a formal piece of theatre. This is a naturally theatrical production with enchanting visuals, vibrant puppets, peppy songs from Julian Butler and perfectly pitched performances (Amy Tweed and Daniel Harlock are both so naturally engaging), but there’s a brilliant lack of ceremony. Everything about Everywhere Bear is thoughtful yet unshowy, which really allows the children to relax and settle into the show. 

Laura McEwen’s set is packed with gorgeous details yet she’s careful not to overwhelm her young audience. Projections of Rebecca Cobb’s original illustrations are elegantly woven into the design, augmenting the scenery but never overshadowing it. As the Everywhere Bear goes on a mini adventure, he finds himself swimming through drains, scrambling through scrap heaps and flying with seagulls. The story’s scope is large but the set is transformed with such subtle touches. A plank is flipped over to reveal a bright green underside and, suddenly, an ice rink becomes a lush park; the school shelves are rotated to reveal endless rows of books, and the school turns into a local library.

It’s the kind of thoughtfully calibrated set that makes alert observers of the children watching. When a downpour begins, with painterly streaks of rain projected above the set, Ceci cries out in excitement. When the bear finds himself caught between a game of cat and mouse, played out by dinky little puppets, Ceci looks set to explode with glee. And when the bear is accidentally left behind by a little boy from Class One, all the children scream out their warnings. 

Deep into his adventure, the bear is washed out to sea. A shiny gauze sheet is placed in front of the stage, shimmering like the ocean. It’s a lovely effect but the children have become so involved by this stage that they actually try to pull at the sheet, upset at the divide placed between them and the story. Later, when the actors bring the puppets into the audience, Ceci asks if she can meet the “little boy”. All the divisions have come down in a show that takes care to pull the children into the world on stage.