Unique, moving, sad, profound!

Reviewed by Sandi Laird

Ronnie Burkett puts his unique story-telling talents on full display on The Grand Theatre’s Auburn Stage. To be honest, Ronnie and his marionettes were unknown to me and so I admit I checked out Burkett before entering the theatre. Award winning Ronnie Burkett is a renowned marionettist and puppeteer who grew up in Medicine Hat, Alberta. He has studied and performed across Canada and the US and is recognized internationally. In 2024 he was awarded the Governor General’s Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Stage).

Wonderful Joe is a poignant story about an elderly man, Joe Pickle, and his beloved dog, Mister, who face eviction from their home which is being torn down in favour of modernization in the form of a giant concrete complex. The flavour of this city street is due to change forever. In telling the story of the kind and gentle Joe, we are introduced to a host of his friends and neighbours who also face eviction. All the characters, voices and stories have been coined by Burkett to help the audience see the devastation, fear and confusion while also exploring the hopeful, fantastical and beautiful folks telling their stories. You’ll laugh and cry and question and cherish the lessons shared.

Joe and his friends are larger than life as they poignantly tell their stories of betrayal and comradery, love, cruelty and kinship while living on the big city streets. Minnie, a lost, and tortured soul, is convinced a former social services employee once tried to poison her. But with patience the worker and Joe help Minnie realize her error. And then she reveals herself to be a creative spirit gathering a cast of characters for one last show on the street where they lived. The Trash Alley Players include a punk who, beaten down by time and circumstance, has lost his edge; Her-She, a trans character crushed by ignorant ‘what are you” reactions from strangers; and sad Baby – dressed in a glistening plastic gown – who just wants her children back. Other dream-like characters include Santa Claus, the overworked Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature and even Jesus Christ himself. All meticulously voiced by Burkett with love, understanding and lessons for the audience to learn.

Joe’s story is devastating – raised on a farm, parents died, mother’s second ‘farmhand’ husband abandons him on some back road, used and abused by unscrupulous perverts, destined to live most of this life surviving the streets. And yet he seems to live with hope, accompanied by his lifelong mate, the furry Mister, and beloved by all whose path he crosses.

Burkett tackles social issues with hard hitting realism, imagination, and characters who repel you at times and then draw you right back into their dreams with grit and potency. He is a champion and proud member of the LGBTQ community. The performance is challenging, profane at times, relevant and always compelling. Open your minds to the secrets and dreams of Ronnie Burkett and Wonderful Joe.

Wonderful Joe continues at the Grand Theatre, Auburn Stage, London until November 23. Tickets are available at the Grand box office at 672-8800 or 1-800-265-1593 or visit www.grandtheatre.com

Photo:  Joe and Mister in Wonderful Joe. Photo by Ian Jackson, Epic Photography.

Wonderful Joe
A Production of Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes
Created and performed by Ronnie Burkett
Music by John Alcorn
Stage manager Chrystal Salverda
Grand Theatre, Auburn Stage, 471 Richmond Street, London
November 4 to November 23, 2025
Reviewed by Sandi Laird