Assembly Roxy
Three stars
Death can do funny things to people in terms of how loved ones left behind react to the grieving process. For the young woman at the heart of Emery Schaffer’s new play, her response to the demise of her seemingly loving husband Jake is to buy a tatty old bear suit which she inhabits like a second skin. As she becomes BearGirl, the woman rewinds on her and Jake’s life together, from her inglorious career as his student to them ending up together and the fallout from his loss.
For all the suit’s discomfort, it becomes a kind of unwashed security blanket to cling to, as one might wear a former lover’s left behind sweater or jacket. As BearGirl embarks on her new life alone, her recent past with Jake is brought home by a series of flashbacks, as well as various present day encounters, including one with a Dolly Parton themed fortune-teller.
BearGirl’s assorted foils are all played by Jimmy Kavanagh in Kate Stamoulis’ production for the young Edinburgh based Hey Thanks! Theatre Collective. At the play’s heart, however, is Rachel De Fontes as BearGirl, who goes through several stages of grief as she gradually learns that her seemingly idyllic life with Jake wasn’t quite as it appeared.
Based loosely on Anton Chekhov’s short 1888 play, The Bear, what emerges from Schaffer’s contemporary reimagining is an inventive study of the extremes one sometimes has to go to in order to heal. In BearGirl’s case, there is more than one skin that needs shedding before she can come out of hibernation and learn to live in the wild once more.
Until Aug 31, 4.20pm.
The Herald, August 16, 2026
ends
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