Bears In Space

The flyerers lining the Cowgate say it all: "Bears in Space? Literally a show about bears in space."

And they're not wrong. Dublin-based theatre company Collapsing Horse brings us a story set aboard a spaceship in the distant future, manned (so to speak) by two bear companions thawing from cryogenic stasis. What follows is an hour of grown-up puppetry storytelling that feels a bit like Ziggy Stardust has broken into your home equipped with stuffed animals and wants to tell you a bedtime story. We mean this, of course, in the best way possible.

When a show requires specialised technical skill, there is often an assumption that other aspects may suffer – puppetry doesn't often carry the comic punch of a four-man sketch group, for example. Bears is a heavyweight exception to this trade-off, particularly with Jack Gleeson shining as an obnoxious, socially awkward on-ship AI interface. Indeed, the bodysuited cast (Gleeson, Aaron Heffernan, Eoghan Quinn, and Cameron Macaulay) plough through intense Underbelly heat and complex choreography to nail every punchline, accent (Heffernan is a bit of a prodigy), and makeshift special effect. There's hardly a moment to consider the intracies of the multi-media, synasthetic whimsy between echoing laughs.

Razor-sharp ridiculousness and a dry self-awareness make Collapsing Horse's hour truly great. It may be "literally a show about bears in space", but Bears is simply so much more.

Just spare yourself the sight of fantasy fans queuing up for selfies with Gleeson afterward. Come on, guys. Be cool.