As the lights dim I see the bear obscured in a perspex cube which is the focus of the stage. This film noir based performance was surprisingly deep and enthralling, the story of a solicitor’s clerk Angela Clerkin who is immersed in a murder case. When she believes the case is all drawing to a close, the defendant tells her that “The bear did it!”.

There are only five elements - the two actors,the lights, the sound, props and the open faced perspex cube. The cube would rotate to become a prison cell, Angela’s North London flat and even a Union Jack Club. As soon as the lights come back up, the actors introduce themselves and what characters they will be playing. As the performance goes on, it switches between an almost spoken word event, to being a gritty crime fiction film.

The way the actors break the fourth wall doesn’t detract from the play in the slightest. In fact it adds to the play, as the anecdotes increase the suspense almost tenfold! The atmosphere is dark, the subject matter heavy but conversely the play is littered with humour. The way the story is written and how open the performers are, makes the experience much more realistic and deep. The two actors are simply superb and I believe fitted their roles perfectly. The only qualm I had with the performance was the authenticity of Guy Dartnell’s Irish accent - a petty comment - but excluding this minor detail, this theatrical experience was perfect in every way. Definitely worth the £10 ticket price!