As the inevitable ecological apocalypse accelerates its approach, what are we going to do with all those last living representatives of nearly-extinct species? Animal sanctuaries and breeding programs are all well and good, but playwright Gian Arellano has a more modest proposal: broadcast a hunt on live television to titillate and traumatize the nation!
The Last Bear follows a lesbian couple — Val, a down-to-earth architect, and Paige, a moralizing vegan — as they compete to humanely murder the final surviving polar bear before it drowns in the rapidly warming Arctic sea. The contest is hosted on the panic-inducing Travesty News Network by Jenna Jay, a rage-baiting blonde bombshell with a short fuse who introduces a parade of other caricatured conservative contestants, including a conspiracy theorist cop, a red-pilled tween and (most memorably) a semi-closeted Black Nazi politician with a fetish for his femme shotgun.
Arellano, the author behind Renaissance’s MILK, has poured a pitch-black and glacier-white comedy that appears at first to be a parable about climate change, but swiftly shifts into a Swiftian satire on our society’s right-wing resurgence as observed through a queer lens. This topic couldn’t be more relevant right now, and although the pop culture references range from à la minute (Katy & Taytay) to Mesozoic (Ellen & Portia), the script is peppered with some laugh-out-loud non sequiturs like “abstract concepts cannot perform cunnilingus,” or “Gold Star lesbians” that spontaneously generate scissors.
Unfortunately, by the halfway point of what initially promises to be a potent political parody, the play’s potential becomes buried beneath a blizzard of gross-out gags, gay buzzwords and allegedly funny voices. The game cast is certainly committed, but they’re not yet adept enough at cue pick-ups to make the dialogue snap like it should, and director Erin McNellis’ inconsistent pacing and awkward staging of slapstick scenes makes what should be campy simply look clumsy. The titular anxious ursine’s eventual arrival briefly enlivens things, and the finale’s passionate plea for a gay rights revolution packs real-world punch despite the absurdist wrappings.
This killer concept could easily make for a hilarious 20-minute skit, or even be developed into a less cartoonish full-length piece. But without quite enough comedic buoyancy to overcome its heavy-handed messaging for a full hour, The Last Bear ultimately left me feeling like I was treading in chilly water.
The Last Bear
Venue: Renaissance Theatre Co.
60 minutes; 18 & up
$15
Get tickets
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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.