theater. drama

Review by Amanda Lockitch Ten Days On Earth by Ronnie Burkett CanStage at Berkeley, 26 Berkeley St., Toronto to June 24, 2007 TORONTO, ON - When I saw my first Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes production I quietly asserted that I never wanted to miss another of his shows. And, happily, I haven't. While 10 Days On Earth, textually, does not pack quite the punch for me that, for example, Provenance did, Burkett's mastery is undeniable. For those of you who are unfamiliar with his work, he not only writes and performs; he designs, sculpts, constructs, costumes, speaks for and physically manipulates dozens of marionettes per show. But this is not children's theatre. Far from it. 10 Days On Earth follows Darrell, a mentally challenged young man who does not realize that his mother is slowly decomposing in her bedroom of the house they share. For ten days he goes through his routine of work and daydreams until he begins to question the truth. It is often the mistakes made which give live theatre its supercharged boost. When the strings got tangled on one puppet the night I saw the show, it turned into one of the loveliest and most unforgettable moments. Burkett paused, rubbed his face, laughed, and looked out at the audience with a "of course tonight" shrug. This was, of course, the night when the audience was filled with theatre academics, actors, writers and directors who were attending a conference at York University where Burkett had spoke just that afternoon. A more critical and perhaps understanding audience could not have been found.