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Bear with me: Sun Bear @ParkTheatre

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If The Light House is an uplifting tale of survival, Sarah Richardson’s Sun Bear gives a contrasting take on this. Sarah plays Katy. We’re introduced to Katy as she runs through a list of pet office peeves with her endlessly perky coworkers, particularly about coworkers stealing her pens. It’s a hilarious opening monologue that would have you wishing you had her as a coworker to help relieve you from the boredom of petty office politics.  But something is not quite right in the perfect petty office, where people work together well. And that is her. And despite her protesting that she is fine, the pet peeves and the outbursts are becoming more frequent. As the piece progresses, maybe the problem lies in a past relationship, where Katy had to be home by a particular hour, not stay out late with office colleagues and not be drunk enough not to answer his calls. Perhaps the perky office colleagues are trying to help, and perhaps Katy is trying to reach out for help. It has simple staging
Idle Friday Chatter #1

Scene: As Paul heads out to lunch he waits at the traffic lights at Brixton. A police siren suddenly goes off and the woman beside him lets out a shriek

Mad woman on the street: Oh this place I can't stand it it's 'orrible, it's too noisy and I just can't take it anymore. I just can't take it anymore and I think I'm about to lose it. And that woman on the bench over there yeah she just said to me that I need a long hard screw and they are all just taking cocaine and this place is a mess and I just can't take it anymore and I think one more thing and I am just going to lose it I really am I am really just going to really lose it....

Her voice trails off as Paul crosses the street and walks away faster and faster... all the while trying to remember the minute details of monologue...

Idle Friday Chatter #2

Scene: Friday afternoon in the office, F has just returned from the ladies...

F: Ethel from accounts doesn't blend her blush. I saw her in the toilet caking it on and she looks like... She looks like one of those porcelain dolls... It just looks un-natural!
Paul: Unless that is the look she's going for... Either that or whore on the high street...

*not her real name or occupation

Idle Friday Chatter #3

Scene: Friday evening in Soho. Paul is with A (Eurostarguy) and have entered a café for a late night hot chocolate. Entering the café laughing and carrying on (as one does on a sensible Friday evening) A heads to the mens room and Paul sashays over to a seat in the corner and flops down as if he has had a few too many "lemonades" for the evening. As he takes a menu he glances up and sees that his ex is sitting opposite alone and dressed like a chav.

Ex: Hi Paul
Paul: Er hi there.
Ex: You're looking well. Much better than last time I saw you. You looked a bit tired then...

Paul does not return a back-handed compliment as (a) he is not quick witted enough and (b) he thinks his ex looks like shit. In fact Paul does not say much more. Ex eventually gets up and leaves.


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