Questions and Answers and Party Planning
Mr Punch is sometimes accused of being politically incorrect and the odd council has tried to ban the show and even a “Punch and Judy” children’s book…! But the British public has given Mr Punch overwhelming support and prevented this from happening.
Mr Punch remains our National Puppet and his show has recently been voted as an English National Icon.
Nevertheless questions are still being asked and the following light-hearted answers from the “Punch and Judy Fellowship” may help to put at rest any fears that you may have about watching a Punch and Judy show…!
How does Mr. Punch
square with “Victorian Values”?!
Dickens
had the answer “Street Punch is one of those extravagant relief's from the realities
of life. I regard it as
quite harmless and an outrageous joke”
Does Mr. Punch encourage
violence? …
Mr. Punch no more encourages
violence than Goldilocks encourages squatting.
What
about the stick? …
Well the difference is that
Mr. Punch’s stick is a slap stick. It’s specially constructed to make a slapping
noise. This
led to the term “Slapstick Comedy”
Do you think its wife
bashing? …
Judy is quite capable of giving
as good as she gets …! and often does.. !
Should Mr. Punch be
banned? …
Should you ban Shakespeare
and the Bible…?
So what about the
violence? …
It’s the way the show is performed. If you add the an element of comedy, which you should, together with the correct timing, this makes for a traditional entertaining show in the slapstick style, and that’s what children love … You are not going to stop going to the Pantomime are you .. ?
Do you think there
is too much violence on TV? …
Responsible parents watch with and know what their children are watching and know where the off button is located…!
Does Mr. Punch always
defy political correctness? …
Punch has always adapted to
the times he lives in, but an important part of the show is that he defies and overcomes
the frustrations people feel as represented by his opponents. He does this on
behalf of his audience.
Is Punch a children’s
show or an adult one? …
We are all children at heart, a good show performed well has the power to entertain all …!
Dpes Punch encourage people who are naturally violent? …
Banning Punch would be like banning wine gums because there are alcoholics in the
world.
What if my child is frightened of Mr Punch?…
How old is your child? The
ideal age is six. Some children are frightened of clowns, shadows on the wall, doctors,
dentists and animals. Seriously, it could be the atmosphere of excitement or noise,
I reccommend showing the child the puppets in repose and explain what is happening
Why do you perform
the Punch and Judy Show?..
How else would I be able to pay for a big house, six kids and the jag?! No seriously to see the expressions on the children’s faces and hear their shouts of laughter young and old is resound enough… and I enyoy performing the show of course… !
Lastly will Mr. Punch
live on forever?…
Yes of course he will …!
Today Punch’s play
lives on through a relatively small group of like minded “Professors” who have vowed
to preserve
and promote the show in all its forms. I am confident that Punch will continue to
live on and provide entertainment for many generations to come.. !
