
On Bear Ridge
Royal Court · 24 OCT - 23 NOV
“One minute we had customers, the next minute there was no-one.”
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Overview
In a lost village, blurred by redrawn borders, hidden under a crumb on the map, Bear Ridge Stores still stands.
After a hundred years, the family butchers and grocers – a place for odds and ends, contraband goods, and the last petrol pump for 30 miles – is now silent.
But owners John Daniel and Noni are not leaving.
They are defiantly drinking the remaining whiskey and remembering good times, when everyone was on the same side and the old language shone.
Outside in the dark, a figure is making their way towards them.
A semi-autobiographical story about the places we leave behind, the indelible marks they make on us, and the unreliable memories we hold onto.
Age Recommendation: 14+
Critic reviews
The script is rich in language and content, supported by excellent performances and a beautiful set
A tender piece about love and loss
Plenty of magnetism from Rhys Ifans, but this very British drama doesn't quite grip
Rhys Ifans and Rakie Ayola hold off despair in whimsical dystopian fantasy
A well-wrought, cautionary tale
Despite its rather abstract quality, 'On Bear Ridge' has enormous symbolic resonance
Rhys Ifans shines in Ed Thomas’s surreal, tender drama about people making do in a post-apocalyptic world
Absorbing, moving and intriguing
A delicate balance of melancholy and playfulness, of anger and acceptance creates a feeling of limbo, almost numbness, that is masterfully maintained throughout
Writing, acting and design combine brilliantly in Ed Thomas’s post-apocalyptic new play
An excellent tragicomic play elevated further by Rhys Ifans and the ensemble
Rhys Ifans braves a storm of sadness