ronnie twinkled last night

so ronnie burkett is in town with his latest Billy Twinkle, Requiem for a Golden Boy.

was it his best effort? no

was it still worth seeing? yes

the thing about this show is that, unlike his other shows, he played a bigger part than normal. instead of sitting back and bringing his characters to life, he was very much a part of the production. not something we're used to. at the same time, his characters are still endearing and make you laugh.

there was a bit more truth that hit home with this show. yes, we're aware that this parallel's ronnie's real life, and for the most part, as my friend Bim said, its easier to handle when you read it. but it was right there, in front of you, so some of the real moments were almost a little too real, even if acted out by a marionnette.

there are too many characters to talk about, but my fave came at the end - dorian gray - with her jesus rap and her i heart puppets t-shirt masking big saggy boobs. ronnie asks her why she does what she does even though she's bad at it, and she simply responds 'because it makes me happy'. she's so wise. i heart dorian.

and of course, it was great to be in on all the little jokes - the jabs at winnipeg, moose jaw, and well, saskatchewan in general.



my fave show of his will always be Happy. its a pity that show is retired, because its been years since i've seen it and i still remember Happy fondly. he's my favorite character ronnie's ever created. and i still have visions in my head of him in his yellow slicker, swinging on a swing...it makes me warm and fuzzy insidea and was probably the only time a puppet brought me to tears.