THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE CREATION OF

MISS MERLYNDA'S UNIQUE & HILARIOUS - BRAND NEW

VENTRILOQUIST

PUNCH & JUDY SHOW!

- and -

WHY 'PUNCH & JUDY' MUST REFLECT MODERN LIFE

TO ENTERTAIN AND INSPIRE MODERN AUDIENCES

- THE EVER-EVOLVING TALE OF 'PUNCH & JUDY' -

As the Creator and Performer of my very own - and Totally Unique - 'Ventriloquist Punch and Judy Show' -  in which I also include and perform - as a Singing Ventriloquist - a Variety of my very own Original Comical and Novelty Songs - and Comical Nonsense Verses - I have great respect for the thoughts and ideals of the revered Puppeteer - Puppet Maker - and - Puppetry Historian - Peter Fraser - in particular - his earnest belief in how the much-loved tale of 'Punch & Judy' must continually evolve - change - and above all - reflect - the society around it - the society which it - primarily and exclusively - aims to entertain.   

Here are a few Quotes from his book: 'Punch & Judy' - published in 1970 by BT Batsford Ltd - now over 50 years - half a century - ago - yet entirely relevant today! 

As a traditional style hand-puppet Punch & Judy Show Performer myself for many years - Peter Fraser's beliefs and ideals about the 'Punch and Judy Show' resonanted and chimed so clearly for me.  And - as a Ventriloquist - Children's Novelty Songs Singer-Songwriter - Children's Comical and Nonsense Poet - and - Children's Entertainer - they inspired me to forge ahead with creating a Unique - (and I hope!) - Hilarious - entirely New Punch & Judy Show - the:  'Miss Merlynda Puppet Theatre Ventriloquist Punch & Judy Show'. 

I hope Peter Fraser's  words below clearly illustrate and communicate to you, as they did to me, the importance of developing one's own - deeply personal - Show-(Wo)Man's approach to - and ever-evolving delight in - this aged and much-loved tale of the relationships and responsibilities - the squabbles and trials - the beliefs and consciences - the immortal and mortal aspects of us all - all us ordinary folk - who are both happily - and unhappily - living out our ordinary lives - only to suddenly and unexpectedly discover that we contain extraordinary depths within our evolving personalities - and that - most importantly - that we each have the ability to change our outlook - our attitudes - thereby our lives - and thereby - our stars! 

Our Higher Self continually battles our Lower Self - Which Do We Always Cheer On To Win?

I hope you enjoy the following Quotes:

"Most people think of the Punch and Judy Show as part of Victorian England and certainly, as a street show, it belonged mainly to that period.  Punch himself, however, IS MUCH OLDER.  Before the Victorian era began he was well-known in England as a STRING PUPPET called PUNCHINELLO, a noisy knock-about character with a shrill artificial voice and a very coarse sense of humour.  He was so popular in the eighteenth century that he appeared (sometimes quite unreasonably) in half the puppet plays of the time, both in fashionable MARIONETTE THEATRES of London, and in fairground shows throughout the country."

"Mr Punch first came to England FROM FRANCE to join in the celebrations following the Restoration in 1662.  He can be traced from France back to ITALY at the end of the sixteenth century, where he is recognised as a MASKED LIVE ACTOR with a great nose who performed in the IMPROMPTU ITALIAN COMEDY at NAPLES.  HIS CHARACTER AND APPEARANCE HAVE BEEN ADDED TO OVER ALL THESE YEARS."

"Today, we still enjoy his (Punch) delightful irreverence in dealing with conventional beliefs and attitudes. HE DOES JUST WHAT HE LIKES AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

"The Puppets in Punch & Judy are taken from the book of the 1828 Punch and Judy (Piccini) Performance (written down by John Payne Collier and illustrated by George Cruishank).  This Show presented 13 Human Characters and 2 Animals, a larger Cast than is usually found today.  Punch, Judy, Toby, the Baby, the Doctor, the Constable, Jack Ketch (a Hangman) and the Devil are seen in nearly every Punch and Judy Show, while others have been dropped or replaced.  3 new puppets, Joey, a Clown, the Ghost of Judy and a Crocodile are fairly common in later versions.  In name and costume, both Punch and Scaramouch suggest their Italian origin, but several others are recognisable English types of their period, perhaps carved from life. "

"In making Punch and Judy puppets today YOU MAY CHOOSE TO PRESENT THE CHARACTERS IN MODERN DRESS.  Although there is less variety and colour in today's costume than in the early 19th Century, the Punch and Judy Show DOES STAY ALIVE BY REFLECTING LIFE AROUND IT."

"Very few Punch and Judy Shows have been written down and much of the VALUE of the performance has always belonged to its IMPROMPTU nature.  With each NEW GENERATION, dialogue and music have tended to MIRROR events, personalities, and popular songs OF THE TIME."

"It is probably not desireable to give an EXACT performance of ANY script unless as a scholarly exercise.  Today, as it always has in the past, the Punch and Judy Show should REFLECT some of the Personality of its Showman (puppet show creator/puppeteer) and cast a satirical eye at CURRENT events, attitudes, and celebrities. "

"The drama of Punch and Judy remains the same.  Punch continues to fight his wife and the law, the hangman and the devil.  He continues to treat marriage, authority, death, and the fear of eternity with the same disrespect.  A few characters from the earlier performances have been replaced but the important characters concerned with those themes remain.  Where they do not, the reason is usually found in the wish to make the play more suitable for children."

"The script published in 1828 ... belonged to an Italian showman called Piccini who, in his old age, gave a special performance from which a book was written by John Payne Collier and illustrated by George Cruikshank."

"Where Puppetry is used for educational aims, the flexibility of the Punch and Judy Drama and Cast is of great value; and in psychiatric work with children, the basic situations of family and authority offer many opportunities for identification."

" Mr Punch's personality ... shows an honest admission of every human failing!  To this may be added some of the personality of the Show(Wo)man him/herself."