The protagonist of ‘BearGirl’ copes with the death of her husband by donning a bear suit. Bears don’t think, they do. Right? This gesture is a signifier of her ongoing breakdown, and the beginning of her processing her grief. We witness her grieve and, through flashbacks and conversations we see the events that led to her being widowed at 30. The script and performances were excellent, with only one minor flaw; I couldn’t see quite why she fell for her husband, and the flaws in their marriage (to which she was blind for so long) felt too glaring to be overlooked. None of that diminishes the character’s sorrow, however, nor did it stop me shedding a tear.

Assembly Roxy, until 31 Aug. 
tw rating 4/5 | [Andy Leask]