NEW SHOW BY PUPPETEER RONNIE BURKETT
“His displays of genius and craft will
leave
you breathless. Billy Twinkle brings us a
world-class master at the peak
of his powers.” (Edmonton Sun)
Montréal, March 31, 2010
– Amazing Canadian puppeteer Ronnie
Burkett is back in Montréal with his most recent
creation, Billy Twinkle, Requiem for a Golden Boy. This
latest work is acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, but
there’s nothing surprising about that: Burkett is a fabulous
talent! In 1997, his show Tinka’s New Dress was a hit at the
Festival TransAmériques. Ten years later, he scored another
major success when he presented 10 Days on Earth at
the Cinquième Salle.
During that latest appearance, critic Sylvie
St-Jacques declared in La Presse:
“Ronnie Burkett is a magician. Puppets
revolutionizing theatre? I tell you they can indeed. When I left
the Cinquième Salle of Place des Arts, I was heavy-hearted
and red-eyed.”
For its part, The Gazette wrote:
“If you haven’t experienced Burkett’s
work, don’t miss this rare chance.”
And the critic at Voir closed his review
with:
“We are already very eager to see Ronnie Burkett
come back to Montréal.”
Request granted! Billy Twinkle, Requiem for a Golden Boy
will be presented at the Cinquième Salle
starting April 22. Performed in
English, this show seamlessly weaves together imagination, humour
and poetry.
BILLY TWINKLE
The world is the oyster of Billy Twinkle, a middle-aged
puppeteer whose rather coarse shows entertain tourists aboard a
cruise ship. All is going well for him… until the day
he’s fired. Leaning against the ship’s guardrail, a
depressed Billy is pondering the waves below, sorely tempted to
throw himself overboard, when he’s jolted back to reality by
the puppet-ghost of Sid Diamond, his long-deceased mentor. Diamond
literally grabs his protégé and compels him to
re-enact his life as a puppet show in an attempt to revive
Billy’s love for his art.
As he did for his previous shows, Burkett himself designed and
built all of his marionettes and sets. He also serves as
scriptwriter, actor and puppet master, displaying a extraordinary
degree of virtuosity – his puppets themselves become
puppeteers!
Billy Twinkle, Requiem for a Golden Boy had its
première at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton in October,
2008. The show then enjoyed outstanding success touring nationally
and internationally, including at the National Arts Centre in
Ottawa, the Barbican Centre in London, as well as in Manchester,
England, Vancouver, B.C., and Melbourne and Sydney,
Australia.
RONNIE BURKETT
Ronnie Burkett’s exceptional talent has earned him
many awards in the theatre world as dramatist, actor and designer
in Canada and abroad, notably the Village Voice OBIE Award
for off-Broadway theatre in New York City and, most
recently, the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. Based
in Toronto, the artist fashioned a brilliant career in
television before founding Ronnie Burkett Theatre of
Marionettes in 1986. Since then, his company has staged
adult-oriented shows throughout the world, establishing Burkett as
one of the indisputable masters of the art form. His astonishing
marionettes seem to possess a life of their own. Respected
worldwide, the artist creates daring works that explore the
full range of human emotions. His unique shows are unforgettable
feats of technical and theatrical skill.
The original production of Billy Twinkle, Requiem for a Golden
Boy was commissioned by the Citadel Theatre, and
co-commissioned by the National Arts Centre, the Vancouver
East Cultural Centre (Vancouver), the Arts Centre (Melbourne), the
Sydney Opera House (Sydney) and barbicanbite09 (London, England).
www.johnlambert.ca
With its finger firmly on the pulse of the artistic avant-garde,
the Cinquième Salle is dedicated to presenting theatre,
dance and multimedia creations from here and abroad.
Billy Twinkle, Requiem for a Golden Boy
April 22 to April 24, April 27 to April 31, and May 1
at 8 p.m.
For ages 14 and older only
After-show chat with Ronnie Burkett on April 29
Cinquième Salle of Place des Arts
175 Sainte-Catherine Street West
Information and reservations
Place des Arts box office: 514 842-2112 or 1 866 842-2112 l www.laplacedesarts.com
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Media relations: Communications Papineau-Couture
Julie Delorme, juliedelorme@papineau-couture.com
514.842.3851
