MTYP play offers a sad, but strangely beautiful, journey into the dark world of dementia

"We're sorry to say it, but this show is sad."

That's part of what the creators of It's Dark Outside — a show from Perth, Australia's The Last Great Hunt theatre company that's at Manitoba Theatre for Young People for a short run — say in their program notes.

It's not exactly the kind of ringing endorsement you'd expect for a show aimed at young audiences. It also couldn't be more right — this show is devastatingly, impossibly sad.

It's also beautiful and wonderfully creative, and deals with its dark subject matter with such style and grace that it should be seen in spite of — or maybe because of — that sadness.

It can't help but be sad, since it's a show that deals with dementia — and in particular, "sundowning," a symptom of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in which people become more confused, agitated and restless as the sun sets.

That's what happens to our central character, an old man (played by Sarah Nelson in a very convincing mask) who becomes increasingly agitated as he watches an old western on TV as the sun sets.

All's not right in his world — what was a moment ago a coffee cup appears to be a toy soldier the next time he looks at it. Confused and disoriented, he sets off on his own western adventure.

But he's pursued by a shadowy figure with a butterfly net who seems to be scooping up the memories — represented here by fluffy fabric puppets that look like puffy thought balloons — which drift out of the old man's head, forever lost to him.

The old man's not alone on his journey — he takes with him an anthropomorphic tent, which sometimes trots along happily beside him, and which he sometimes rides like a horse.

Yes, it's all a bit trippy, and sometimes it's actually quite funny — but it is, in the end, a journey into the world of a man suffering the confusion and fear that come with dementia.

So yes, it's sad.

But it's told with great visual flair by performers Nelson, Daniel Buckle and Rachel Arianne Ogle. The show's creators — Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs and Tim Watts — craft the old man's story with an evocative blend of puppetry, animation and shadow play.

There are some strikingly creative bits — those fluffy balls of memory that float out of the old man's head transform, for example, into the things they're memories of, like the man's dog. It's also genuinely surprising how much empathy you can feel for an animate tent, given how vividly it's brought to life here.

The play is also wordless, but not silent — it's set to a fabulous western-themed score by Rachel Dease that has a moody pop vibe to it (think Ennio Morricone with a dash of Portishead, maybe). It is, like the other design elements here, evocative and powerful.

So the big question — does this all work for kids? Well, it wasn't originally written as a play for young audiences, so it's maybe better thought of as a play that's suitable for younger audiences than one specifically aimed at them. Its slow pace and dark material rule it out for very young kids.

But adults will appreciate its creativity just as much as older kids. More importantly, young or old, it's impossible not to be moved by this gentle, profoundly affecting piece.

There were more than a few sniffles and watery eyes in the audience at Friday's performance — mostly from the grown-ups.

Which is fine — sometimes, it's OK to be sad.

In this case it's actually, strangely, something of a joy.

It's Dark Outside runs at Manitoba Theatre for Young People until Feb. 24.