Ronnie Burkett's Penny PlainHandout
Penny Plain believes the world is about to end.
After all, it's on the news all day, every day – the melting icecaps, the teetering economies, the untreatable pandemics – so the frail, blind senior ventures outside to await her fate when she is visited by survivalists, a serial killer, talking dogs, a cross-dressing banker and other colourful characters.
It's the latest world created by Ronnie Burkett, a visionary puppeteer and Canadian theatre treasure who has gained worldwide fame for his intricate and achingly beautiful works – and was inspired when David Suzuki told a reporter that the world will survive, but we may not.
The apocalyptic vision in Penny Plain is darker than most of Mr. Burkett's previous offerings, but it still contains plenty of his unmistakable desert-dry wit; the puppet master is also using longer strings, so his characters really are going it alone – or so it would seem.
Penny Plain is at the Cultch until Dec. 17. For adults only; children under 14 will not be admitted. For more info, visit thecultch.com.