Abbie Lowe
Man or Bear is an honest look at patriarchy, male violence and the threat that constantly lurks in women’s minds. Using the question that arose from TikTok in the last few years to motivate the piece: would you rather meet a strange man or a bear in the woods? Women are left to consider what a man would do to them vs, what a bear would do, and which one is more traumatic?
Following three generations of women, Connie (Lesley Ewen), Paige (Katie Hurley), and Angel (Amaia Naima Aguinaga), as they traverse a new life with each other. When Paige leaves her abusive husband she takes her daughter to start fresh in a new town, helped by Connie short-term letting her flat before getting permanent tenants.
From the script (Sarah Hehir), to the actors, and the direction (Ursula Martinez), this show is a very strong and necessary piece of theatre. With the rise of violence against women, and the growing void of the manosphere, it is eye-opening, heartbreaking and honest. Unfortunately, I really do believe the modern female experiences with men are captured in this hour of performance.
I love the way this script handles the discussion and experiences across three generations. The older experience of just brushing things off, the conversation around ‘oh he’s just like that’ is prominent, the middling experience of being lured into and finding yourself in a bad marriage but brushing it off because he is a ‘good’ man, and a teenage experience of standing against misogyny, moral dilemmas and sexualisation.
Paige, a mother who the story circulates around the most, has left her emotionally abusive marriage for a fresh start, with almost nothing to her name. Katie Hurley is an engaging performer who displays her emotions so beautifully. I was drawn into her story, and unfortunately could relate to each moment of terror, heartbreak and the questioning of the decisions she made. She embodied her character’s story so well.
Amaia Naima Aguinaga is an actor I have previously seen at the Fringe, and who I can never take my eyes off. She gives a dynamic and believable portrayal of an angry, feminist, teenage Angel. Thrust into a new school and new life, she finds herself in a moral and social dilemma that causes her to fall apart. Angel has never had a good experience of male figures in her life, and pushes through this with screaming music, dancing in her room, and eventually alcohol. Amaia Naima Aguinaga is an actor you can’t help but love, emotional and articulate, with the perfect balance of strength and vulnerability.
This piece was directed in an engaging way as actors moved to speak into microphones when storytelling about Sam, alongside other men in their lives, and their experiences with them. These moments of isolation, and the repetitive line of ‘Sam is a good man’ is a great reference to how often someone presents as ‘the good guy’ externally but when they are behind closed doors things can change. A highlight of this for me was when the character of Sam spoke himself, Lesley Ewen’s voice was unnerving in a way that had my heart pounding and sent chills down my spine. The way she articulated the words, using a lower voice and creeping towards his victims, is reminiscent of an emotionally manipulative man we have all encountered at some point in our lives. Her transformation from loveable Connie, who’s kindness and care you can feel oozing out of her, to abusive Sam really shows incredible range, and locks Ewen in as an actor I am desperate to see more of.
I wasn’t as keen on the small interludes, the details of which I won’t spoil here. While I understand the lean into the slightly absurd and what it was trying to portray, I didn’t feel it added anything to the piece. I felt dragged out of the piece, disconnecting me from important and emotional moments with the characters. I think the reveal at the very end could have stood well on its own without the calls to it throughout the piece.
Sometimes the dialogue of the script felt too on the nose for me. There were over explanations of scenarios that sometimes fit with characters clarifying things for others, and sometimes felt like too much, feeding the audience what they were supposed to find in subtext. With small tweeks and allowing characters to really look at each other in these conversations, I feel more could be portrayed through their facial expressions and interactions than over-explanation from the writing.
Despite the heavier topic I have to highlight how much I enjoyed the moments of light relief. There were experiences of laughter, dancing in the kitchen, and screaming songs together. It bridged the gap between generations, let their frustrations out in different ways, and showed each of them trying to make the best out of truly awful situations. The added ‘girlhood’ of this piece, the community and love it showed allowed me to feel a small ounce of hope in it all, knowing that a village of women will always try to come together to protect each other. When Connie steps in front of the girls at the end of the piece it solidified this to me, a small moment that said so much.
With an electric, and anxiety inducing ending, Man or Bear is unfortunately relatable, extremely hard hitting, and beautifully made. It captures the political climate we’re in with deep truths and honesty, the things women struggle to speak about, internally battle, and are threatened with on a daily basis. I could think of a number of men I have encountered like the ones that are mentioned in this piece. If you are wondering whether to see this show: go. You won’t regret it.
Recommended drink: A Dancing Bear cocktail – packed with spirits and a surprising fruity twist, this is definitely what you would rather encounter in the woods, and definitely compliments certain scenes of the show.
You can see Man or Bear at Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall from 6-30 August (not 17, 24) at 1.45pm (60 mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Isobel Jacob
Hannah Hamilton
