PUNCH AND JUDY
 History of Punch & JudyONCE UPON A TIME there were sandcastles, donkey rides, fish and chips and Punch & Judy puppet shows. All part of a traditional British seaside summer - not to mention the rain!. Nowadays Punch & Judy shows are a rare sight on Britain's beaches. Happily Brighton beach in Sussex can boast one of these "endangered species", performed every summer by Sgt. Stone.On the face of it Punch & Judy is a very macabre story, gruesome even, dealing as it does with 'love and death', 'murder and mayhem', 'ghosts and ghouls', plus a sausage-eating crocodile - all in the space of 25 minutes! Many theories exist as to the origins of the show. Clearly though, one thing is certain, Mr Punch's roots are in sixteenth century Italy where as Pulcinella (Italian for little chicken because of his beaky nose and squawky voice) he was part of a clown troupe known as 'The Commedia Delle Arte' - a motely crew of touring minstrels, poets and vagabonds. Many Commedia troupes sprang up and soon their popularity spread throughout Europe and beyond, with each country adding its own flavour and name for Pulcinella (Polichinelle in France; Hans Wurst (Jack pudding) in Germany and Petrushka in Russia). It was not until the late seventeenth century that Pulcinella and his pals first hit Britain's shores and Samuel Pepys, the noted diarist, records seeing a "Punch" show at Covent Garden, London in 1662. One character really caught popular imagination, Mr Punch as he became known. Since then he has weathered many conflicts and changes of fashion, even getting married to Judy! The show you may enjoy today is Victorian in essence with a very cosmopolitan cast of characters. An enduring part of Britain's puppet heritage. |
And that squeaky voice can only mean one thing, Mr Punch is on his way ...
He dances on stage and calls for a kissy kiss' from Judy. She reluctantly appears and gives him one!Yes, it's a very horrific story, but it's like any fairy story, the children know it's a story. They know they can come back tomorrow and everything will be back to normal. The baby will be alive, Judy will be alive, the devil, the ghost, the crocodile and the sausages (although they might be a bit stale).
"Not too sloppy though, Mr Punch you animal".
Suddenly, a terrible din from below.
WAAHH! WAAHH! it's the baby. AAH! AAH! it needs changing POOH! POOH!
"You change it, I'm off", says Judy.
"No way", says Punch, and throws the baby out of the window.
Judy out window too.
"Byebye. Hooray", says Mr Punch.
"Oh dear, I see a ghost. No way, go away.
Who cares 'cos there's sausages for tea. Thanks Joey the clown".
Crocodile lurks and slurps and slips the sausages into his tum.
"Oh bum", says Punch.
"FREEZE", says the policeman, "your murdering days are done".
But he's the one who gets the window treatment fun, and Punch is free again, hooray!
But wait who's this?
Boo hiss, the devil's behind you!
But not even 'him from below' can outwit Mr Punch.
"It's the window for you and the spooky ghost too. I'm off for some fun!"
So watch out the rascal's still about.
What people say about the showFeatured many times in film, TV & radio, Sergeant Stone's Punch & Judy show has been booked and re-booked with confidence for major art festivals both here and abroad.
"It's more endearing than any other seaside show in Bighton."As you can see the children love it, but you're never too old for Punch & Judy - it's entertainment for all! To find out more phone Sgt. Stone on +44 (0) 1273 698363 |