Ronnie Burkett – Theatre of the Marionette

This Friday I have the privilege of seeing one of the best playwrights and performers I have seen on stage.  My love affair with Ronnie Burkett began in 2005 when I, by chance, purchased tickets to ’10 Days on Earth’ at the Playhouse within the confines of the Sydney Opera House. I knew nothing about the show before seeing it, only knowing that it was an adult drama performed with marionettes. I was intrigued and wanted to see a show, so I ventured in one morning and purchased relatively cheap tickets to see the show.

I have to say, it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Ronnie Burkett is a playwright, a puppeteer, a puppet maker and a performer (and I’m sure a few more p’s as well). He has been writing plays for his own marionette theatre company since 1986, but really broke through with his piece Tinka’s New Dress, which won many awards throughout the world, including The Age’s critic award in Melbourne in 2002. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see this play, which is a shame, considering he rarely performs his shows a second time and nobody else would be game enough to produce one of these plays without the man himself.

You see, Ronnie Burkett plays are one man wonders. He makes the puppets, writes the script, and then manipulates each puppet whilst playing all characters. 10 Days on Earth saw him play everything from a newly hatched duck to a dying mother to the Lloyd Almighty. He effortlessly makes his audiences laugh one minute and cry the next, all through the rare art of marionettes.

And this is the other thing I love about this man… He is creating profound, moving, controversial adult theatre that rivals the best of contemporary playwrights… for marionettes!! 10 Days on Earth was one of the best play going experiences I’ve ever had. I expected the show to be good, but I never expected it to be great. The show itself was expertly crafted, the characters exquisite. Burkett uses his story to comment on society and the way we deal with life and death. The climax of the play was one of the most heartbreaking realisations I’ve ever had as an audience member, and he effortlessly brought me to tears. In fact, this was the first play I ever blogged a review about (back in the days when I had a vox account). I blogged the review on the bus on the way home, from my mobile phone. That’s how excited I was then.

I’m even more excited now.

This time around, he is performing a new, slightly autobiographical piece called Billy Twinkle: Requiem for a Golden Boy. If you are in Sydney then get a ticket to Billy Twinkle. Sell your car. Sell your house. Sell your children. Just see this play.

I’m seeing the show on Friday night, so I shall post a review as soon as possible after I finish.