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History
tells us that Mr. Punch arrived in England in the reign of Charles
II, after Cromwell鈥檚 austere rule.
His
name is derived from the Italian "pulcinella" .. soon shortened
for English audiences to "Mr. Punch".
Unlike
today鈥檚 performances, the original was a marionette, dancing and
cavorting on strings.
When
Punch鈥檚 popularity began to wane, he became a glove puppet, with
a host of other characters, and what had begun as a fairly unwieldy
marionette theatre, with a crew of assistants became a one man travelling
show.
In
those early days there were a variety of different plots, depending
on who put on a show, but soon one version became the standard.
Punch
and Judy became a tale of marital disharmony and challenges to authority
- hence the policeman!
And just as now, performances over the years have been both topical
and satirical, with guest appearances by the stars of the day.
Today,
Mr. Punch and his motley crew perform at village fetes, children鈥檚
parties and various seaside resorts around the country. Not bad
for a 300 year old wooden puppet and his wife.
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