Punch and Judy

Video summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2ANMKeroi4&t=1006s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4iWoCJ_t24&t=384s

• 2 main characters are Judy and Ms. Punch 
• Came from Italy around 1662
• Humorous violence in the show (slapstick comedy)
• Puts something in his mouth to change the voice of the Puppet 
• Unique voice (Mr. punch)
• Slapstick puppetry
• Crocodile puppet always features
• Police man features as well 
• Judy has a baby 
• Little box, its mobile --> performance space  
• The performance was first found in the seaside
• Punch normally wear red and white stripes, red face and red clown nose 
• Red and white style on the box immediately suggests Punch and Judy 
• Aimed at children although it is for families because of some adult targeted jokes
• Song to get audience involved
• 'That's the way to do it", classic opening line, always said in Punch and Judy performances
• Audience interaction, breaking the 4th wall 
• Lots of arguing between Punch and Judy 
• Arguments like 'no they dont' 'yes they will' and audience often joins in 
• Mr. Punch always mistreats the baby in some way when Judy isn't there 
• ^ The audience is privileged to certain info ^ 
• Real slapstick used 

• Constant audience interaction 

Mr. Punch uses a Swazzle in his mouth.  The device is used to produce the distinctive harsh, rasping voice of Punch in a Punch and Judy show, and is held in the mouth by the professor (performer).



My trial of Punch and Judy:  

At first I was hesitant about performing with puppets although when we began experimenting with the puppets I realized that I really enjoyed it. I faced a few difficulties when performing with puppets as it isn't a convention I am used to incorporating, controlling both the puppets at the same time according to what they are saying was quite difficult as I also had to improvise the dialogue, and there needed to be a distinction between the voices of the characters, so changing the voice each time a different puppet should talk was difficult for me, and towards the end the voices started to become very similar to one another. However it was our first time performing this type of theatre and we were bound to make a few mistakes and face difficulties when doing so, but if we were to practice, and create a performance I believe that I could excel in this performance type and develop new skills. 

History: 

Punch and Judy are a popular puppet duo from England that has been performed for more than 350 years. Even though Punch and Judy are mainly English, it actually originated in Italy, by Italian puppeteers who made the puppet character Punchinella. This character was based on a character from the well known form of Italian comedy, Commedia Dell'Arte. Punchinella was intitially a morionette. When Italians started migrating around 1660 due to poor government and war, Punchinella (who later was called Punch because of pronouncing inabilities) began showing up in theatres all around England. Although Punch was the initial character created, the creation of his wife, Judy, The Baby, The Constable, Joey the Clown, The Crocodile, The Skeleton, andThe Doctor were introduced. Punch and Judy shows are known for their exaggerated humor, including lots of violence (slapstick), tasteless jokes, lying, stealing and cheating. It's slapstick elements include: 

   

• Comedy characterized by boisterous action = such as the throwing of pies in    actors'  faces, and jokes.
• Stick or lath used by clowns, for striking other performers, especially a combination of  laths that make a loud, clapping noise without hurting the person struck.

Materials and Construction:


- It was only after 1825 when Punch transformed from a marionette to a hand puppet, also known as a glove puppet. The puppets arms and sometimes head are controlled by the puppeteers hand. 

- Mr. Punch wears quite a distinguishable outfit: a jester's motley, and a hat with a tassel. He carries his stick called the 'slapstick' which he uses to beat the other characters with. He has a crooked nose, as well as a hunchback. 

- Punch is formed by carving his body out of wood, whilst the other puppets can be made of plaster molds and paper mache. The clothing is sewn and attached to the puppet. 

- The unique voice of Punch is created using an instrument called "the swazzle", which is a special instrument that put on the roof of the mouth, above the tongue to create the specific squeaky, kazoo-like tone that Punch possesses. 


Performance style: 

- Punch and Judy is generally associated with seaside society. The reason for performing on the seaside was due to the development of bigger cities in England. Due to a higher population and technology, puppeteers faced difficulties performing on the streets, also because of the horrible traffic. 

- Shows are performed in a mobile booth, making it simpler for the puppeteers to travel with. Back then the puppeteers would move along the streets of London, gathering people to enjoy the show. The booths were coated with cheap, white and red checkered fabric which has become the distinctive look of a typical Punch and Judy show. 

- The puppets generally interact with the audience by asking them questions and engaging them throughout the story. 

References:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/thats-the-way-to-do-it!-a-history-of-punch-and-judy/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/are-punch-and-judy-shows-finally-outdated-10599519/

https://theworldofpuppetry.weebly.com/punch-and-judy.html