Over a decade after Bedford author and illustrator David Litchfield sketched a strange-looking bear playing a piano in his notebook late one night, his award-winning picture book is taking on a monumental new life.
In a truly ‘pinch-me’ moment, this Christmas, The Bear and the Piano will make its stage debut in a brand-new adaptation by the world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Directed and co-created by master puppeteer Toby Olié (War Horse, Spirited Away) with original music by Tom Brady, the live-action production promises to transform Litchfield’s lush woodland landscapes into an unforgettable theatrical experience.
And it’s fair to say, the whole experience has been an absolute roller-coaster of emotions for David, seeing his drawings come to life.
“I could never have dreamt anything like this would happen”
Catching up with him to talk about the transition from page to stage, his initial reaction to the news was one of utter disbelief.
“Isn’t it very exciting? I can’t believe it really, but there you go,” he said. “It’s happening.”
Working with such an iconic institution is something David approaches with his trademark humility. “With the Royal Shakespeare Company, it’s all high and mighty,” he laughed.
“Far too high and mighty for the likes of me, but there you go.”
It has been 11 years since he first put bear to paper, and David admitted that having his work adapted on this scale was never on his radar. “I would never have dreamt anything like this would happen,” he said. “Definitely not.”
The journey to the stage actually began long before the Stratford spotlight hit.
“It was before COVID—so about six years ago, in 2019,” David recalled. “I first met Toby Olié, who is just an amazing director and puppeteer.
“He started on War Horse and set up his own company.”
Toby had got in contact to share his admiration for David’s books and suggested meeting for a coffee to explore potential ideas.
“We started chatting about all the possibilities, and then he mentioned that he’d done lots of work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, so they’d potentially be interested,” David remembered.
“I was just like, ‘Oh, absolutely. Sign me up, this sounds amazing.'”
After seeing Toby’s work on the stage adaptation of Spirited Away, David was completely sold.
“I went to see that, and I was just like, ‘I can’t believe this is a real thing that I’m watching on stage,’ with these giant puppets that filled the whole stage. I just jumped at the chance of working with him.”
A long process
However, bringing a theatrical production to life takes time, particularly when global events intervene.
“It’s been a long old process with lots of back-and-forth, global pandemics getting in the way, and kind of just global everything getting in the way,” David explained.
“There were points where we thought it might not happen, but now I’m so happy that it’s actually finally been announced and I can tell the world.”
Having attended a few rehearsals, David said he was stunned by the technical wizardry on display.
The production itself will be a live-action puppet show featuring a cast of five actors controlling intricate puppets while performing and singing.
“It’s all told through music, so it’s really lovely,” David shared.
The show will premiere in Stratford this Christmas (11 December – 10 January), but if that’s too far to travel, a national tour will be announced for Spring/Summer 2027.
Start local, think global
To make touring across the country feasible, the team came up with some ingenious design solutions.
“This is going to destroy the magic now,” David joked, “but the bear puppet is a big balloon. So it deflates, and you can just squish it into a suitcase for the purposes of touring around the country; and who knows, round the world.
“Let’s think big.”
The hour-long production expands gracefully on the picture book’s concise format, giving key narrative moments room to breathe.
“There are some lovely songs and really fun bits,” David told The Clanger. “They’ve taken bits that were a single page in the book – like when the bear first discovers the piano – and really built on them.”
Watching that sequence left a profound impact on him.
“I saw a 20-minute sequence where he’s learning to play the piano and using nature to help him. I was in floods of tears after watching that,” he confessed.
“I was trying to be all cool and collected and be like, ‘Yeah, no, this is great,’ but inside I was just thinking how lovely it was.”
For David, seeing his story transformed by other creatives felt like a full-circle moment.
“It’s funny how these things grow,” he reflected. “This literally started as a little sketch in my sketchbook that I drew one night when I was bored.
“I drew a really strange-looking bear playing the piano and just thought, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.'”
Allowing directors and composers to interpret his work required a leap of faith, but David felt entirely confident in their hands.
“Trust is the word. When I first met Toby and Tom Brady, who is writing all the songs, I knew they were totally the right people for this,” he said.
“I know nothing about theatre production at all, so I just had to say, ‘Go for it and do the best you can.’ On opening night, front and centre, I’m going to be an absolute mess.”
While the whole process has felt somewhat surreal, David said that seeing promotional posters up across London has suddenly made the experience real.
“I feel lucky to live in Bedford”
Yet despite the international reach and grand stages, David remains deeply rooted in his hometown.
“I feel lucky to live in Bedford. I love Bedford,” he said.
“I’m literally just a scruffy little fella from Kempston. Working with the Royal Shakespeare Company seems bizarre, but Bedford built me.
“I grew up here, went to college here, and made my family home here. I’m very proud to be from Bedford.”
Looking toward the future, David remains optimistic about the town’s creative trajectory.
“There’s something about Bedford that pulls you back in,” he noted. “It’s only going to get better, and I’m here for the long haul.”
And as for future local collaborations?
When asked about the prospect of a local theme park tie-in down the line, David laughed.
“There could be a Bear and the Piano rollercoaster. Let’s get to work on that right now, Erica – we’ll figure that out.”
The Bear and the Piano runs at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 11 December to 10 January, ahead of a national tour. For tickets, visit the RSC website here.
