Ronnie Burkett has solidified his reputation as Canada’s premiere solo puppeteer with complex full-length plays, like the Memory Dress Trilogy, or last year’s “apocalyptic comedy” Penny Plain. So it’s a rare treat to see him cut loose and perform The Daisy Theatre. It’s a free-wheeling show that’s different each night, with audience participation, special guests, and some new marionettes and stage trappings paid for out of Luminato’s coffers.
Burkett collaborated with 10 different Canadian playwrights on some of the playlets that rotate in and out of the show, and at least some of those collaborators participate directly—though it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s who, because, well, it’s a puppet show. We know Anusree Roy voiced a character earlier in the run. We couldn’t tell whose work we saw on June 18, but we did see jazz singer John Alcorn and upright bass player Steve Lawrence do a soulful number while an aged Edna Rural, a character from Burkett’s 1999 play Street of Blood, reflected on her abiding loneliness.
That was, however, a rare sombre moment in an evening mostly full of witty repartee from Burkett. The fourth wall was broken frequently, both by Burkett in direct address to the audience, and even by his puppets. One adorable scamp, Schnitzel, actually climbed the curtain and confronted Burkett over his lack of fairy wings to offset his diminutive size and features.
Our one minor quibble with the show is that the space is a bit too grand for the intimate cabaret Burkett seems to have envisioned. The rig for his puppet show barely takes up half the space on the Berkeley Street Theatre’s downstairs stage. It’s a fine line both Luminato and Burkett need to walk, between meeting demand for tickets and finding the right space for the show.
Burkett is headed to Australia later this summer for a staging of Penny Plain. But we certainly hope that, upon his return, we’ll get another chance to see more of his cabaret. Both he and the audience seemed to enjoy themselves with his new creations, and we noticed when leaving that there were plenty more marionettes hanging on the racks that hadn’t been used. (Maybe a repeat visit is in order.)