Sarah Richardson. Photo by Jacob Cox.

Sun Bear by Sarah Richardson – Park Theatre, London

Published by Plays International.

‘Sun Bear’, written and performed by Sarah Richardson, is an excellent piece of writing. Richardson, playing Katy, has nothing but an office desk and chair, and a pot of pens, and she is focused on the latter. At first, she seems amusingly furious with her work colleagues over small things – pen stealing, lunch orders, social invitations. This makes a lot of sense – after all, who hasn’t wanted to tell their colleagues what they really think of them. But we soon begin to realise that Katy’s anger crosses the blurry boundaries of socially acceptable behaviour, and that she is trying, and failing, to escape the impact of an coercive relationship. Although she has left her abusive boyfriend, fear continues to fill her head and haunt her life.

Richardson’s performance and writing work together exceptionally well. She draws the audience into her rollercoaster story immediately and keeps them on the edge of their seats for an hour, with nothing but the occasional lighting change. Not a word is wasted. She is very funny, but her writing is disciplined and everything in the service of the story. Richardson gives a gripping and entirely convincing account of what is like to live with someone who controls every aspect of your life. The play’s title refers to a species of small bear which is vicious when eventually roused, a metaphor left to do its work unexplained. ‘Sun Bear’ is just Sarah Richardson: no creatives are credited apart from the lighting operator. It is a serious achievement, a quality work of great promise. Richardson has won awards already, and will surely win more.