Pulling Strings: Ronnie Burkett's Wonderful Joe

Joe Pickle and Mister (left) in Ronnie Burkett's Wonderful Joe. (Photo: Ian Jackson)

Ronnie Burkett, the internationally acclaimed Canadian puppeteer and recent recipient of the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award, brings his latest production Wonderful Joe to Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. This poignant and wickedly funny show, running until Oct. 24, spotlights Burkett’s unparalleled skill in marionette theatre, weaving a tale that is both deeply human and fantastically imaginative.

The story centres on Joe Pickle, an elderly gay man facing eviction from his long-time apartment on Eileen Street – a thinly veiled nod to Toronto’s gentrification woes. Rejecting well-meaning offers of assistance, Joe embarks on one final adventure with his faithful companion, a raggedy stuffed dog named Mister. Burkett’s genius lies in his ability to breathe life into a cast of fringe-dwelling characters, each meticulously crafted and voiced by the puppeteer himself. 

From Minnie Shingles, the foulmouthed director of the End of Days Trash Alley Players’ Troupe, to Her-She, a trans sex worker operating out of a car on cinder blocks, the denizens of Eileen Street are raw, unbridled, and utterly captivating. The production reaches its zenith in a raucous disco-cum-cabaret scene featuring an unholy trinity of Santa Claus, Jesus Christ, and the Tooth Fairy (aka Glen). This vaudevillian spectacle culminates with the appearance of Mother Nature, a haggard figure trailing a boa of garbage bags, delivering a cabaret-style lament on the world's destruction. 

Yet, amidst the gritty humour and social commentary, Wonderful Joe offers a tender exploration of community, dignity, and the enduring power of imagination. The unlikely bond formed between Joe and a young runaway named Serengeti Levin-Woo (Getti) provides a touching denouement, symbolizing hope and the passing of wisdom from one generation to the next. 

Burkett’s visible presence on stage, manipulating the marionettes and voicing the rapid-fire dialogue, far from being a distraction, serves to heighten the theatrical experience. It’s a testament to his artistry that audiences find themselves captivated by the wooden performers, willingly suspending disbelief as these puppets pull us into their world of satire, parody, and social critique. 

Wonderful Joe is a masterful blend of adult themes and childhood whimsy, a flight of fancy grounded in pressing social issues. It's a celebration of life on society’s margins and a reminder of the magic that can be found in the most unlikely places. Burkett once again proves himself a virtuoso of his craft, creating a theatrical experience that is at once thought-provoking, heartwarming, and utterly unforgettable.

– Deirdre Kelly is a Toronto-based journalist, author and internationally recognized dance critic and style writer on staff at The Globe and Mail newspaper from 1985 to 2017. She writes for Dance Magazine in New York, the Dance Gazette in London, and NUVO in Vancouver, and is a contributor to the International Dictionary of Ballet and AWOL: Tales for Travel-Inspired Minds. The best-selling author of Paris Times Eight and Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection, she is a two-time recipient (2020 and 2014) of Canada’s Nathan Cohen Prize for outstanding critical writing. In 2017, she joined York University as Editor of the award-winning The York University Magazine where she is also the publication’s principal writer. In 2023, she published her latest book, Fashioning The Beatles: The Looks That Shook The World.