Review: Penny Plain, by Ronnie Burkett

[ed_rex]

Marionettes much more than mere muppets

But Ronnie Burkett's Penny Plain disappoints

I did something I seldom do Wednesday night: went out to the theatre. To the National Arts Centre, no less, having spent a full day's wages on the tickets to take the chance — as the artist put it during a post-performance question and answer session — of being badly disappointed, but guaranteed a unique experience.

The show was Ronnie Burkett's seventh, Penny Plain, and it is one that will never show up on video. Burquett is the singular artist and craftman who has made his career as a marionette artist: he writes the plays, builds the puppets and performs every part.

Burkett's craft is an ancient one and, like other ancient arts — fairy stories, for instance, or poetry — one often perceived as belonging to that oft-maligned, low-status realm of "children's work" (never mind that there is nothing inherently inferior in art meant for children; that is an argument for another time). But Burkett's stories are not intended for children, nor is his love for the art and the craft of puppetry a childish one.

His latest show is not his best, but if you get the chance to see Penny Plain, you should. The technical achievements alone are worth the price of admission. My full review is behind the link: Housebound apocalypse less than the sum of its parts.

Comments

Some wit, some humour, but missing the humanity

[beable]

I didn't read your review until my lunch break just now as I only went to see PP yesterday afternoon.

One of the blurbs that seems to be getting used alot in the publicity (it was on the poster at the NAC too) is "“Full of wit, humour and humanity, Penny Plain is virtually flawless.” – Calgary Herald"

I will agree that it was full of wit, contained some humour (although much of the humour I found unfunny as I generally don't give a crap for scatalogical humour), and almost no humanity.

That was about the coldest plays I have ever seen. The marionettes may have been technically marvelous, but the characters and story were so utterly empty. They were all doomed, and we the audience were supposed to just yawn and say 'that's nice dear, pass the paper when you're done'.

"For it's the end of the world and we know it" done well, I recommend DOn McKellar's Last Night. It still has dark (often grisly and grim humour), but it also has more soul, and characters worth caring about.

Re: Some wit, some humour, but missing the humanity

[ed_rex]

That Herald review excerpt struck me too. First to excite me before-hand, then ironically, after the fact.

I don't mind good scat.hum, but the old lady kind of made Mr. Hankey seem like Noel Coward in comparison (now there's a line I wish I'd used in the review!).

I hadn't thought of the play as "cold", largely because I gave (and give) Burkett's intentions the benefit of the doubt. I think we were actually supposed to care, but he didn't communicate whatever it was he was trying to say well enough to make us do so. (Or maybe I'm remembering Happy through the proverbial rose coloured glasses.)

Maybe I'll re-watch Last Night. I liked it when I saw it a decade or so ago (was it really that long? Maybe). But my favourite end-of-the-world story is probably still The Kraken Wakes.