Heidi and the Bear is framed as a rather sinister fairytale — which actually isn’t much of a stretch, as fairytales are generally sinister by nature. The show begins as the audience are told a story by a deceptively bland narrator, of a couple who could bear no children, of a magical fish who promised them offspring, of the disappearance of the daughter at age sixteen... If you can’t connect the dots, well, you may like to make an appointment with Dr Freud as soon as possible.

The show is staged in promenade, which is an interesting idea as it gives us a literal peek behind closed doors, at a family who may or may not be as ‘good’ as they profess to be. Despite the best efforts of the actors, our destination quickly became far too familiar both physically and narratively; as the audience dutifully trudged one more time up and down the stairs between Heidi’s bedroom and the front room/dining room, whatever dramatic tension there may have been was crushed into the carpet beneath our feet.

Susan Conley