THE PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW to Play Rochester Fringe Festival in September

The Port-A-Globe Mobile Puppet Theatre has been engaged to perform the Punch and Judy Show at the 2023 Rochester Fringe Festival for three dates: September 16, September 17, and September 23, all at 12:00 at the School of the Arts.  Tickets are now on sale for $5 at rochesterfringe.com.

It's the story of a Woman, a Man, their Child, and a Crocodile. 

“The show is silly enough for adults and smart enough for children” according to the Port-A-Globe Puppet theatre. “There are jokes only the adults get, jokes only the kids get, and even jokes they both get. Punch and Judy had a reputation for being nonstop violent back in Victorian times, but the show is not at all like that any more, especially not with us. “We get bigger laughs out of absurd situations. And, in the end, it's Judy, not Mr. Punch, who saves the day.”

The Punch and Judy Show is the most famous puppet show in the Western world. It has been performed for more than 350 years and continues to be a staple of British entertainment, performed thousands of times every year in the UK, but is comparatively rare in North America. Many have heard of it, but few on this side of the Atlantic have seen it.  Port-A-Globe uses a traditional puppet booth and wooden puppets hand-carved in the UK.

In the course of the zany plot Mr. Punch comes face to face with a police officer come to arrest him, a mischievous ghost haunting his house, a swarm of bees trying to get their honey back from Mr. Punch (who has stolen it), and several other character, including a Crocodile who will eat anything it can find.  The audience is encouraged to shout at the puppets as they see fit.

“Some audiences warn Mr. Punch that the Crocodile is lying in wait for him, but other audiences end up telling the hungry Crocodile where Mr. Punch is hiding.  It's different every time, which is why we love to produce this show,” said Keith Jones, Port-A-Globe's Puppeteer.  Jones, a former professor of Ancient Greek and Latin, is now a professional Punch and Judy “professor” as such puppeteers are called. “It's a bit of a career change, admittedly. But I'm still in the amusement business, as I see it. I had discovered early in my teaching career that students learned best when I could keep them laughing. So I simply refused to be boring.  Now, with Punch and Judy, all I have to do is get people laughing.”

More about Rochester Fringe Festival: The 12-day Rochester Fringe Festival is the largest multidisciplinary performing arts event in New York State. Since the festival's inception in 2012, nearly 670,000 people have attended more than 4,500 performances by regional, national, and International Artists, from emerging to superstar. From drama to dance, comedy to children's entertainment, music to magic, and so much more, this internationally-known powerhouse encourages creative expression while nurturing the artistic process, all while supplying new audiences to established and emerging arts venues. The Rochester Fringe Festival strives to be diverse and inclusive, and to stimulate downtown Rochester both culturally and economically. 

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