Written, Created and Performed by Ronnie Burkett

Presented with Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad
and The Cultch



"Ronnie Burkett is one of the geniuses of the world...seeing his troupe every few years has just become a necessity of civilized theatregoing." - The Village Voice

Jan 20 - Feb 8, 2009 8pm (no shows Mondays)
Waterfront Theatre

Running Time 1h 50m, no intermission Post-show Talkback Jan 22

Written, created and performed by Ronnie Burkett
Music John Alcorn
Lighting Design Kevin Humphrey
International Representation John Lambert & Assoc.

Billy Twinkle is a theatrical piece intended and created solely for a mature audience. Children under 14 will not be admitted.

Billy Twinkle is a middle-aged cruise ship puppeteer who dazzles audiences with his Stars in Miniature marionette niteclub act. His saucy stripper Rusty titillates the tourists, octogenarian Bunny invokes sidesplitting laughter with the inflatable balloon in his pants, Bumblebear juggles, roller-skates and steals the hearts of every audience, and society dame Biddy Bantam Brewster brings a bit of highbrow hilarity to the high seas with her drunken aria. Billy is the best in the business and on top of the world as he floats along through life.

Until he is fired by the cruiseline. Standing at the edge of the ship contemplating a watery demise, Billy is abruptly called back to reality when his dead mentor Sid Diamond appears as a hand puppet. Sid literally will not leave his side, and forces Billy to re-enact his life as a puppet show in order to remember and rekindle the passion Billy once had for puppets, people and the dream of a life that sparkles.

For anyone stuck in the middle—mid-career, mid-love, mid-life—caught between our own past and future, this Requiem for a Golden Boy shines a little light on the wonder of youth meeting the wisdom of age with a kick in the pants to finish what we started. Canada's foremost artist in puppet theatre, Ronnie Burkett has been credited with creating some of the world's most elaborate and provocative puppetry.

Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes has stimulated an unprecedented adult audience for puppet theatre and continues to perform to great critical and public acclaim on Canada's major stages and as a guest company at international theatre festivals. Ronnie has received numerous awards in the Canadian theatre as a playwright, actor and designer for his work with Theatre of Marionettes.

Commissioned by The Citadel Theatre (Edmonton, Canada) and co-commissioned by Canada’s National Arts Centre (Ottawa, Canada), The Vancouver East Cultural Centre (Vancouver, Canada), The Arts Centre (Melbourne, Australia), Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), barbicanbite09 (London, UK)

Tickets $55.00/50.00

At door ticket price: $59/54 PuSh Pass holders: Call the Cultch Concierge at 604.251.1363 to reserve tickets at the special price of $45.