by Stephen weir
In these turbulent instances of 2024, go away it to the puppets to indicate us how laborious life could be for penniless seniors residing downtown, as they’re displaced from a soon-to-be-demolished rundown condominium constructing to make approach for a high-rent tower.
You nearly don’t discover the strings when “Great Joe,” a weary, weathered senior, takes the stage on the Jane Mallet Theatre in downtown Toronto. Together with his wrinkled face, stooped again, and garments seemingly scavenged from dumpster dives, Joe is the star of a one-act play that can run for the following month within the metropolis.
Great Joe is written and carried out by longtime puppeteer Ronnie Burkett. The solid of marionettes features a neighborhood butcher, a nasty landlord, Mister the canine, and even Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and Jesus Christ. “The play tells the story of an aged homosexual man residing in a fifth-floor walk-up in an city centre,” says Burkett, thought-about certainly one of Canada’s high puppeteers. After profitable excursions in California and Alberta, Burkett brings his newest work residence.
The play opens with Joe and his canine, Mister, receiving an eviction discover. Their constructing—and your complete block—is being torn all the way down to make room for a brand new condominium growth.
“So, Joe and Mister go on one final grand journey of their neighbourhood, encountering tough, powerful, sentimental, humorous, and cute characters,” Burkett explains.
Great Joe is actually a labour of affection for Burkett, who designs and builds all of the puppets by hand, writes the dialogue, performs the voices, and manipulates the marionettes in actual time. Whereas the story is stuffed with humour, it additionally touches on the melancholy of displacement and mortality, as we be taught that is Joe’s final day not simply in his condominium, however on earth.
On the play’s emotional core, it’s simple to overlook these aren’t real-life characters, however puppets whose strings Burkett masterfully pulls. This can be a present for adults solely—no youngsters underneath 16 allowed—and judging by the packed Saturday night time crowd, it’s resonating with downtown seniors (this author included). Great Joe runs till October 23 on the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.
