This was the second time I have seen a traditional Punch and Judy show performed in all its infamous wife beating, baby killing glory. There were some differences because Punch and Judy has evolved over the centuries and different puppeteers have chosen to incorporate different characters. The plot basically goes; Punch is left in charge of looking after the baby, which he sort of accidentally kills, this leads to a domestic that results in Punch beating Judy to death with his stick, oops. Sometimes a policeman comes to arrest Punch, in this one it is the Beadle who is soon speedily dispatched with Punch’s stick. He is then asked to look after a string of stolen sausages (in this by his friend the clown) but they are stolen in turn by a crocodile. Punch is eventually tried for murder and condemned, but tricks the hangman into hanging himself and is finally visited by the ghost of Judy and the Devil himself. It’s pretty obvious that this was originally performed to men in a pub. Punch gleefully enacts all the forbidden fantasies of the common man with a naughty glint in his crazed eyes and survives all assaults upon him.
Being a puppet show it felt no more shocking than a Warner Brothers cartoon and got some huge laughs from the appreciative audience. It’s a pity I’m unable to see this company’s daytime child friendly version the ‘Seaside Punch and Judy’ and compare the two. Professor Haig has set this version in the nineteenth century. The opening of the show was designed to evoke the atmosphere of the period. The lone puppeteer sat before us stitching up a tear in Punch’s costume, while a recording of sounds replicating London of the period, with voices telling us a bit of the history. Shame about the thumping dance music bleeding in from a nearby tent.
The show has a strong rhythm and is set at a pretty furious pace for one puppeteer in a confined space. The show was performed in a proper tiny Punch and Judy type tent sitting on the stage. The highlight was the appearance of the devil with real shooting flames from inside the tent! So not merely exhausting, this was quite a dangerous show to do! The pooped puppeteer emerged in quite a sweat at the end to cheers and wild applause. I think this was a great experience for all ages, just talk to your kids about it afterwards, there is a lot to learn about history here and it’s a jolly good laugh.
Visit the Fringe Website for booking details.