Billy Twinkle - Requiem for a Golden Boy
Barbican, Silk Street Theatre
As Ronnie Burkett enters the stage and begins to manipulate and perform with his surrounding marionettes, an image of Burkett 'The Child' is conjured. Here is a boy so fascinated with his toys that he insists on playing without break until he is utterly tired and hungry. We see the young Burkett pulling strings and experimenting with creating gestures while simultaneously producing voice-overs; improvising dialogues; and developing scenarios in his puppet laden room. Then he grows up and, without hesitation, brings himself into the world of marionettes without appearing oversize. The idea of Burkett performing, or even talking, to another same size human being becomes an absurd reality.
After gaining international success with his 1994 production Tinka's New Dress, the Lethbridge-born Canadian puppeteer and his Theatre of Marionettes tours the world frequently, all the time accompanied by his Theatre of Marionettes. Last seen at London's Barbican in 2007 with sold-out performances of 10 Days on Earth, Burkett returns with his entourage, performing at Silk Street Theatre in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama - the first Bite show to be presented there.
The production is often dubbed 'quasi-autobiographical' and it is not difficult to draw parallels between lead character Billy Twinkle and Burkett himself: a successful, gay puppeteer, in his mid-life, mid-career, mid-life and so forth. This, however, is besides the point. Burkett has become a virtuoso of this recreated miniature world where any creation of characters, whether real or not, is an object to be emotionally animated and, more importantly, manipulated.
The opening sequence reveals his obsession for pulling the strings: a burlesque show girl undresses her minute figure through slight wrist movements, throwing away her fur shawl, dress, corset, and more, until she is almost naked. It is magically hilarious. Other ingenious acts include marionettes playing mini marionettes and marionettes drinking from straws.
Through his mastery performance with the marionettes and exceptional multi-tasking skills the story unfolds and characters come to live. There is no doubt why Burkett merges himself with the cast - to be part of that world where imagination equals possibility, a utopia for creators and people who are young at heart...All must be a truly exhilarating experience. Unfortunately the size of the space sometimes feels too large for such a piece. One wishes the show is instead in a tighter, more intimate environment where the marionettes can be viewed at a closer range, as they well deserve.
The almost two-hour performance is highly charged throughout. There is no need for an interval - it would be like disturbing a precious moment of a child at play. And Burkett's cure to mid-life crisis? Live your childhood dream.
Ingrid Hu
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