A Remnant of âan art formâ lives on at the Dickens Christmas Fair
CGI - Computer-Generated Imagery is an $11 billion dollar industry. And, even as streaming services are negotiating to take over beloved television shows like âSesame Streetâ and âThe Muppetsâ, the appeal of live-action puppet characters remains.
As Brian Patterson of the Dickens Fair explained. âItâs intriguing to audiences, especially to kids, because they donât see live-action performances much.â
In addition to providing the âPunch & Judyâ show at the Dickens Fair, Patterson has done shows at libraries and in Golden Gate Park.
âKids are so immersed in screen time with an electronic device, a screen is so flat,â he said.
The constant availability and presence of technology has made simple live entertainment less frequent.
Over the years, Patterson has noticed that kids (as well as others in an audience) are hungry for live entertainment and experience.
He and his team of Sarah Rice and Terry Mulrooney work together to present three shows a day at the Dickens Fair -- one in the morning and the others in the afternoon.
Not as well known here in the United States, Punch & Judy are more than an entertainment staple in the United Kingdom. âItâs an art form,â said Patterson.
âItâs part of English history and culture and a Dickens Fair wouldnât be complete without a Punch & Judy or a pantomime show,â he said.
ââPunch & Judyâ can be traced back three hundred years ago to the 1600s, and even further to the Commedia dellâarte, in Italy,â he said.
Eventually, variations of the Commedia dellâarte spread across Europe. (Punch & Judy is one form of it) âIt basically consists of stock characters, said Patterson, which are standardized archetypical characters.â
Costuming and exaggerated features for the characters evolved over time. This is so audiences can recognize and identify with the characters immediately, such as âthe clown,â âthe thiefâ âthe lovers,â etc.
In this case, the outline of Commedia dellâarte extended further with the marionette and later a puppet show.
âPunchâ is derived from the character of Punchinello, in the Commedia dellâarte.
âHeâs kind of an âEveryman,â said Patterson. âYet more mischievous as he likes to play tricks on the other characters.â
Typically, Punch speaks in a distinctive squawking/squeaking voice, adding to the antics of a scene.
And usually, heâs âa henpecked husband.â âJudy as his wife is a foil for his antics,â Patterson said.
Thereâs no defined written script as like a Shakespeare play. âThis was all handed down, from generation to generation,â said Patterson.
Much of the banter in a scene is between Punch his wife Judy and the other characters who interact with them.
In general Punch is the center of attention who faces obstacles to his gleeful antics.
Punchâs mischievousness occurs when he seeks ways to vanquish each obstacle. âHeâs neither hero, nor villain,â said Patterson. âBut like most of humanity, he learns to attend to things himself, usually when Judy after having enough, walks out or leaves on vacation.â
Thatâs how Patterson likes to present the show, especially to young audiences.
âThis is when Punch learns to use his wits,â said Patterson. Even as the scenes can be zany, thereâs a universal quality.
The Victoria & Albert Museum of London cites thatâŠ
While Punch integrated himself from Italy into Britain, a similar process took place in other parts of Europe. This resulted in Punch's European cousins; including Kasperle in Southern Germany and Austria, Polichinelle in France, and further afield, Karakoz in Turkey and Petrushka in Russia.
The scenes of a Punch & Judy show can vary and often lend themselves to improvisation.
Rice and Mulrooney serve as a "bottler" who corral the audience outside the puppet stage booth. They introduce the performance and help with the change of scenery and props.
The London of Charles Dickensâ day was familiar with a âPunch & Judyâ show, they could be seen just about anywhere.
The cast & crew of the Dickens Fair work fervently to recreate an authentic atmosphere of Victorian era London.
More than 800 performers take part annually at this holiday event.
All performers complete workshops in theatrical living history, characterization, dance, costuming, dialect, and more to prepare for 11 days of immersive holiday merriment. Both Brian and his brother Kevin and extended family are very proud of the work.
âItâs all part of the âemersion theaterâ experience my parents Ron and Phyllis Patterson taught us,â he said.
Balancing historical element alongside a carnival entertainment atmosphere isnât always easy.
And, competing for an audienceâs attention amid an array of technological devices is a challenge. Still, the Patterson family endures to present something that an entire family/community can enjoy.
Punch & Judy were in Dickensâ time as popular as Ernie & Bert or Cookie Monster and Big Bird are on Sesame Street today.
Dickens does mention the puppet show in his works, like in âThe Old Curiosity Shop,â and others.
Satire, farce and sarcastic humor often were mixed in with a scene. Yet as shows in the Victorian era were more focused on âmoral valuesâ characters like âPretty Pollyâ Punchâs mistress, were omitted.
When asked which of the scenes audiences (especially kids) like the most, Patterson replied, the one with the Ghost character.â
Even though itâs not a traditional character that is used in in the United Kingdom, Patterson said. âI put the Ghost character in because of the reactions - the kids are excited.â
And, the Ghost character keeps it slapstick and playful with no knockouts.
This yearâs Dickens Fair opened on the weekend of Nov 22, and continues weekends, plus the Friday after Thanksgiving, until the weekend of December 21, 2025. To learn more visit the Dickens Fair website.
Photo by Rich Yee, courtesy of The Dickens Fair
