Traditional street entertainment returns to Lincoln this Saturday (2 August) when Punch and Judy make a welcome visit. Organised by Lincoln BIG, the icons of English seaside resorts will be performing to enthralled children – and their parents and grandparents – throughout the day, from 10am until 4.30pm at three city centre sites; Castle Hill, High Street and High Bridge.
Acting out the age-old story of bad guy meets his comeuppance, the Punch and Judy Fair will bring a nostalgic reminder of “That’s the way to do it!” as the red and yellow clad villain tries to outdo his opponents.
The story of the wooden puppets dates from Punch’s appearance in the UK in the mid-1600s, with first written references appearing in Samuel Pepys famous diary. Although regarded as a very “English” form of entertainment, Punch and Judy originate from an Italian string puppet known as Pulcinella with hand puppets replacing the string-operated version about a hundred years later.
Hiding behind the drapes of the familiar kiosk will be “professors”, working the puppets and using “swazzles”– a device made from metal and tape, placed in the mouth – to create the voices of the characters. Puppet operators have been known as professors since the mid-19th century and “appearing” in Lincoln will be Mark Andrews, Clive Chandler, Bryan Clarke, Richard Coombs, John Thursby and the grandly-named Imperius.
Each performance will last 15-20 minutes and re-creates the familiar Punch and Judy story, now regarded as politically incorrect by some. However, in common with Tom & Jerry and modern PlayStation games, Punch and Judy is regarded by audiences as akin to cartoon characters displaying slapstick humour, retaining its popularity among the young and old alike.
-ENDS-
Issued of behalf of Lincoln BIG by lava. For further information please contact Matt, Stuart or Wendy at lava on 01522 842 800 / 07870 567 968 or email matt@lavapr.co.uk / stuart@lavapr.co.uk
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