Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Yahya Baggash, Mikyla Jane Durkan, Peter Durr, Lindsay Fooks, Maggi Green, Robbie J Harper, Maria Hutchison, Angela McComb, PJ Murray, Sam Tolmie.
At one time there was always the Punch And Judy performance to entertain people, a side show that was not confined to the seaside, there was one that used be played out between Lime Street Station and St. George’s Hall in the dim and distant past; however it could be argued that for some this puppet show which relied on aspects of unsightly violence in which to carry its message of suffering and the higher question of morality was a reflection of some of our own relationships, of humanity at its most course and despairing, one in which the likes of Mr. Punch never fully felt the force of local anger and retribution.
It is the question of whether art imitates life, or the other way around, after all in the scheme of existence we are all puppets playing to somebody else’s tune, that if pushed even the most meek and humblest of people can resort to mimicking the aggression and hostility that is prevalent in what was once considered suitable entertainment for the holiday crowds.
It is to that end that it takes genius to replicate humanity as such, to bring a character such as Mr. Punch to life, to make him human, to give him the base attributes of savagery as he, with comic timing and catch phrase endowed, rampages and reflects our own society’s anger towards social issues as the impending removal of British involvement in Europe, the evil of austerity, the turning of the eye against the bullying culture, and all that comes with it which makes people descend into the world of control and savagery.
It is to Julian Bond and Burjesta Theatre that such a production as Punch And Judy Versus The Devil takes on social commentary and inflates the idea of puppetry to a greater, more human, look. The idea that the grotesque can take on human form is not new, but in the hands of this company, and with deep regret that it is to be the final play by the fabulous Burjesta group after seven years, it is elevated into perfect satire, completely bonkers but absolutely rational, deeply thought out, capturing life for what it can be when the state decides that we are nothing more than puppets, animals, who deserve the ills of creation.
It is important to remember what Burjesta Theatre have bought to Liverpool, the joy they have given audiences, to that Punch And Judy Versus The Devil must be added, a production to end upon and with terrific applause.
Ian D. Hall