Stage Door News

Toronto: TO Live to present “Wonderful Joe” by Ronnie Burkett October 5–23, 2024

Monday, May 13, 2024

TO Live is proud to present the Toronto premiere of Wonderful Joe by acclaimed puppeteer, playwright, performer, and designer Ronnie Burkett at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Jane Mallet Theatre, October 5 to 24, 2024.

A 2024 Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, Ronnie Burkett is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost theatre artists and has been credited with reinventing the art of puppetry.

Tickets, starting at $35, go on sale to the public on Friday, May 17, 10 am and will be available online at www.tolive.com, by phone at 416-366-7723 and 1-800-708-6752, and in person at the Meridian Hall box office.

Wonderful Joe is a love letter to imagination, hope, and the art of filling broken hearts with gold. Master manipulator Ronnie Burkett brings this story to life with his signature style—inspired storytelling, exquisite attention to detail, and technical genius.

Wonderful Joe’s glorious score and soundscape are by the award-winning composer and arranger, and one of Canada’s premier jazz vocalists, John Alcorn.

Joe and his dog Mister lose their home, and facing separation, head into the world for one last grand adventure where they encounter Mother Nature, Santa Claus, Jesus, and the Tooth Fairy; witness a troupe of homeless players in a cardboard theatre; and show a disenfranchised teen how to jump over the moon in a playground rocket ship.

Provocative, topical, compassionate, and entertaining, Ronnie Burkett’s work has revitalized puppet theatre, consistently attracting adult audiences who are enthralled by the colourful characters populating his miniature world of big ideas.

The world premiere of Wonderful Joe took place April 4, 2024, at Theatre Network (Edmonton, AB), before travelling to Stanford Live (Stanford CA), and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (Los Angeles CA) prior to this Toronto engagement.

Wonderful Joe was created with the support of The Explore and Create Program of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Wonderful Joe was co-commissioned by Stanford Live (Stanford CA, USA), UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance or CAP UCLA (Los Angeles CA, USA) and TO Live (Toronto ON, Canada), with developmental support from Theatre Network (Edmonton AB, Canada) in association with Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes.

This production is intended for adult audiences only, ages 16 and up. Children under the age of 16 will not be admitted.

Performance schedule:

Saturday, October 5, 8 pm: Opening

Sunday, October 6, 2 pm

Tuesday, October 8, 8 pm

Wednesday, October 9, 8 pm

Thursday, October 10, 8 pm

Friday, October 11, 8 pm

Saturday, October 12, 8 pm

Sunday , October 13, 2 pm

Wednesday, October 16, 8 pm

Thursday October 17, 8 pm

Friday, October 18, 8 pm

Saturday, October 19, 8 pm

Sunday October 20, 2 pm

Tuesday October 22, 8 pm

Wednesday, October 23, 2 pm

TO Live presents Wonderful Joe

Created and performed by Ronnie Burkett

October 5–23, 2024

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Jane Mallet Theatre

27 Front Street East, Toronto

Tickets: $35-$95 (plus applicable fees)

Tickets are available online at www.tolive.com, by phone at 416-366-7723 and 1-800-708-6754, and in person at the Meridian Hall box office, Monday to Friday, 1 pm to 6 pm.

TO Live box office phone and email support operates 1 pm to 6 pm Monday to Friday. Online sales operate 24 hours a day.

Photo: Scene from Wonderful Joe. © 2024 Ian Jackson.