Stage Review

Title: Penny Plain

Company: Rink-A-Dink Inc.

Puppeteer: Ronnie Burkett

Venue: The Cultch (1895 Venables St, Vancouver)

Run: November 17 to December 17, 2011

Reviewed by Alex Hutt 

There is no question that Ronnie Burkett’s Theatre of the Marionettes is visually appealing and the attention to detail is immaculate. It was interesting to see how the marionettes were manipulated by Burkett and the extremely elaborate set-up onstage at the Cultch. The shortcomings of Penny Plain however, were its plot and at times, characterization.

Burkett wrote the play and crafted the marionettes after he saw a program by David Suzuki. He wanted to create a scenario where the world survived but humans perished, but turn it into a drawing room comedy. In addition, Burkett made the title character into a metaphor for Mother Earth, as she revels all the changes the environment brings. Burkett’s Theatre of the Marionettes is celebrating its 25^th year (he’s been performing since he was a 14 year old in Alberta), so he is more than experienced and qualified to put on this play.

Penny Plain is an elderly and blind lady who manages a boarding house, but doesn’t venture outside due to the apocalypse that is eventually bringing about the end of the world. So she sits and waits with her companion dog Geoffrey, until he suddenly wants to go out into the world and be a gentleman. Once he is gone, Penny’s wait is interrupted by a serial killer, a cross dressing banker, Geppetto himself, and candidates for Geoffrey’s replacement, including a girl who thinks she is a dog.

The plot sounds like something that would be absurd and funny, but the funny part drops off about fifteen minutes into the 100 minute production. The bulk of it is dramatic tension in the slowly encroaching danger of the “outside,” as it continues to eat away at the house. Even though it does sound like there is a plethora of plot here, it is actually rather barren of such. Instead, it is a steady stream of minimally connected characters who weave in and out of Mrs. Plain’s life.

This wouldn’t be a problem if the characters didn’t blend into each other at moments. This is because when Burkett is trying to convey anger his voice speeds up and becomes higher and shriller, and frankly, rather annoying. This would be fine if there was only one character who sounded like this, like the old and incontinent Queenie, whose every line is an ear splitting shout. But her daughter Jubilee sounds almost the same when she gets angry or frustrated, as does Gepetto or Mel, the pushy American. Burkett does provide a large amount of variety in voices otherwise, relaying all the other emotions well, but can’t seem to differentiate anger with frustration or anxiousness, so many characters sound exactly the same in these moments. They ultimately feel too manic and would have gotten the point across better if we could stop to take a breath.

Some of the characters also feel like they were wasted potential. Mel and Barbie, evangelical Christians (like the ones that you hear about in the news and shake your head) pop up for one scene before meeting their fate off screen, though it was hinted at that they would factor into the plot much more. “We’ll take care of you,” Mel says sinisterly to Penny. The same can be said for a young boy in a gas mask, whose first few appearances are unsettling, as all you hear is his breathing. Yet, he also disappears off the map before we can get to know him.

On the other hand we have some very well constructed characters, such as Tuppence, the girl who thinks she is a dog. She is still a child, but has some very real adult sensibilities due to the sad circumstance of her past. Geppetto is also an interesting figure, as he struggles with the fact that Pinocchio has succeeded in the world and left him behind. Plain herself does not have much character growth, but that is because she is largely at the end of the line and set in her ways.

The set design is fascinating to watch, as instead of having the marionettes in his lap, Burkett has a balcony on top of stage where he manipulates the puppets down below. As such, if you focus solely on the puppets you will not see much of Burkett, as he is mostly in shadow. Even so, it was great to see him move around the set, switching between voices and puppets. There was also a moment of amusing improv, as the Evelyn (or as Geppetto calls her “Eve”) puppet’s head was not responding. “What’s happening with your head? You’re not the main character,” Burkett quipped, “We don’t have time for this, get your head together!”

Though the plot and characters are a bit lacking in depth, this is still an immensely enjoyable play, whether you enjoy the technical aspects or the narrative. It’s obvious that this is a labour of love for Burkett, and that will probably win some of the audience over, as it is definitely an eye pleaser. Penny Plain is in Vancouver at the Cultch until December 17, 2011 where it will move onto Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal in 2012. For more info visit the show page on the Cultch’s website. All shows start at 8 pm.

Written by :

alessandro