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Street Of Blood
Creator and Performer - Ronnie Burkett
Music and Sound Designer - Cathy Nosaty
Lighting Designer - Bill Williams
Stage Manager - Terri Gillis
Company - Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes, The Rink-A-Dink
Production.
Venue - Tramway www.tramway.org
Box Office 0141 287 3900 Info 0141 422 2023
Albert Dr by frequent train from Central Station to Pollockshields East
3 mins
Dates - 31 May - 2 June at 8pm
Run Time - 2hrs 15mins no interval
Reviewer - Thelma Good
Fresh, fearsomely entertaining
The band may be very geriatric and Edna our grey haired guide through
the story wears large sized Sear's mail order gowns, but Canadian Ronnie
Burkett's creation, here at the end of an international tour, is fresh,
fearsomely entertaining and full of complex theology. The band's guitarist
plays mean chords and the thin as a rail clarinettist gives us a soulful
sound, throughout fabulous marionette* puppets are eloquently moved and
arranged by Burkett who's a manipulator extraordinare as well as actor.
He gives them such vivid life you expect then to come out at the end of
the show and mingle with the audience.
Edna Rural now lives in Turnip Corner on Canada's Great Plains, she married
Stanley and into their lives on the farm came Eden, the son who grew up
to become Eden Urbane, comic for the dying. If I were going belly up I'd
sure like Eden to entertain me though he's a messed up guy. He's the other
guide through the story coming back to Turnip Corner 'cause his real Mum
wants to see him. Also landing on this remote outpost is Uta Hagen Daz,
the silent movie star Eden idolises, Spanky Bishop the singing Bell hop
star and Esme Gillard, even more cadaverous than Uta - like the rest of
the trio has a thirst for blood.
Near the start we sing Oh Canada at Edna's behest, as we get enveloped
in the strange world of Turnip Corner and Burkett's vision by this packed
extraordinary play. The guy pulling the strings plays a divine being expanding
our view of damaged sons and wives and Him up stairs who doesn't stop
things happening. Burkett never pulls back from the very painful or from
shafts of telling wit. The coping, wise Edna and the still angry Eden
love despite the pain making this play intensely humane, playing at all
depths with the meaning of life and our survival in it. Go and see it
and pray he comes with more shows soon, he is a master who knows how to
pull the strings which move our hearts.
© Thelma Good 31 May 2002
marionette - a puppet who is moved by strings which are fixed to a cross
bar in simple ones and to several crossbar placed one above the other
on a bar. Ronnie's Marionettes have many strings attached to them. He
is the only manipulator.
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