LITTLE DICKENS – REVIEW OF RONNIE BURNETT’S MARIONETTE SHOW

Reviewed by James Karas

Ronnie Burnett is not only a master puppeteer, but he is also a master entertainer. He has been in the wilderness for three years, he tells us, and he is back with Little Dickens in Toronto. That suggests A Christmas Carol, of course, but it is as far as you can get from the original and be on the same planet. Burkett wants to make us laugh and entertain us and he does not hesitate to get raunchy – really raunchy – unorthodox, imaginative and, well, a hilarious entertainer. 

Little Dickens starts with strip tease and a song, “Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney,” and as you may imagine, it is not appropriate for a grade school production of A Christmas Carol. In fact, Burkett judiciously asks evangelicals to leave the theatre and some of his comments cannot be printed in general circulation media. Yes, the show is intended for adults only and children under 16 are verboten in the theatre.

RONNIE BURKETT, MASTER PUPPETEER AND 

ENTERTAINER PULLS THE STRINGS. Photo: Dahlian Katz  

The show has characters like Schnitzel, Edna Rural and Esmé. The latter is a drunk, washed-out actor who will meet the three Ghosts of Dickens’ novella. But don’t be in any hurry because Burkett has other things to do. We, and I do mean all the audience, will sing Christmas carols, badly, and hear some songs as well and we will laugh because nothing happens on stage or in the audience that Burkett does not interrupt and make it hilarious.

Burkett is a master of using the audience to generate laughter. He took three members of the audience at random (we assume) and used them good naturedly to generate laughs. He could do almost anything and the audience just loved it. A man taken on stage from the audience was asked to remove his shirt. He did and made us laugh. A young man and a woman went on stage and Burkett made us laugh with very little stage business with  them.

We did get to parts of A Christmas Carol but they were parodies beyond recognition. Burkett can come up with pithy comments that are no doubt well-thought out but makes it look as if they just sprang up at the spur of the moment.  He handles numerous marionettes with complete control and mastery. He makes “mistakes” but I think everything is planned and rehearsed. We see him above the stage handling the marionettes and talking all the time, commenting on and engaging us and generating laughter during our rendition of Deck the Halls.

Did I say he is a master puppeteer and entertainer? Did I say you should give yourself a Christmas present and see Little Dickens?

The show is a production of Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes and is presented by Canadian Stage.

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Little Dickens by Ronnie Burkett continues until December 18, 2022, at the Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre, 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto, Ontario. www.canadianstage.com