Cries of ‘Oh no he didn’t’, ‘ Oh yes he did!’ and ‘Crocodile’ reverberated through the church as we were treated to a talk on the history of Punch and Judy and then given a short show. Peter Barrett was our guide as Prof. Diamond, all Punch and Judy men (and a few women) are known as Professor.
Mr Punch started out as Pulchinello in Italy back in the seventeenth century. His first appearance in London were mentioned in Samuel Pepys’ diary on 9th May 1662. There is a plaque at St Paul’s church in Covent Garden to mark the occasion and Mr Punch’s birthday is celebrated on 9th May every year in the gardens of the church.
Did you know that the first puppets were marionettes and changed to glove puppets as they were easier to move around to give 8-9 shows a day in various locations? Or that the advent of the railways and affordable holidays for the masses lead to them becoming seaside entertainment as puppeteers followed their audiences and source of income? Or that the shows were originally adult entertainment, and that the darker themes have been taken out of modern shows to make them suitable for modern audiences?
We were then treated to a short show accompanied by much audience participation and laughter. Peter, Prof. Diamond, then lowered the curtain around his booth and took us behind the scenes to share the secrets of being a Punch and Judy man, including Mr Punch’s unique voice.
Peter was a very entertaining speaker and good fun was had by all.