A Good Show Is...

The Punch and Judy Fellowship, of which I am a past secretary, has always struggled to impose a series of quality standards and it is for this reason, in part, that the ‘rival’ organisations were borne. Both The College and The Club drew their membership from The Fellowship. This is unsurprising given the small proportion of the entertaining population who have more than a passing interest in Mr. Punch.
As secretary, I tried to introduce a simple method to weight the various attributes of what constitutes a good show, to guard against an individual buying ‘the show’ turning up on ‘assessment day’ and passing with a ‘bad’ show due entirely to ‘him’ having spent a lot of money on a top-flight sound system, set of puppets, theatre and Swazzle. Unfortunately, the ‘slap you in the face’ subtlety of the tried and tested method of ‘ranking and weighting’ was just a little too difficult to understand and was soon dropped from the process.
The criteria have since been developed and improved by an individual for whom I have much respect but as this was done after my time as a committee member, I am unqualified to comment further.
The original criteria are still good and as applicants joined The Fellowship, I ensured they received the following article, written by ‘Professor Geoff Felix, which seeks to explain the reasoning behind the criterion’s facets.
Clients have nothing to judge whether the fee they are paying is worth the cost. Some ‘Prof’s value themselves so low, they ‘go-out’ for half what the rest of us consider to be a fair market rate. To put on record what these criteria were and why they were chosen, here is what Geoff wrote:-
I am sure that you will agree that performing a show for full membership of The Fellowship can be a daunting experience and with this in mind I thought it might help if I go through some of the main criteria and assessment.
Any judgement of a creative work or piece of theatre is personal and the opinions expressed here are mine only but successive festivals and working shows over the years does provide a consensus – especially when combined with the understanding of how it feels to be ‘in there doing the show’. The whole process of being assessed can be a spur to ‘knock it into shape’, it can be a marvellous way of shaking the performer out of complacency, which is the cancer of all puppeteers and finally it can be a real achievement. So, apart from following the basic script, what do I look for?
1. Appearance
John Styles (the country’s leading performer for nigh-on forty years) said that when someone sees a show for the first time, they should be ‘filled with expectation’. This could also apply to the performer and I hope that you at least make the effort to be presentable. You don’t have to wear a suit, it could be a costume, for example, but you shouldn’t just look like you walked in off the street. The booth (theatre) need not be striped (the early ones weren’t) but you shouldn’t be able to see the performer inside. A nicely painted proscenium and perhaps some scenery will add to the effect. Remember. It’s the audience and their enjoyment that is important and not your convenience, so it’s always worth going the extra mile to make the show look really nice.
2. Speed and Attack (Pacing)
Unlike the actor who uses his whole body, facial expression and voice to give a performance, the puppeteer has only his voice and his hands. I would describe the vocal performance as like trying to talk to someone eight yards away (7.35 metres) on the other side of a brick wall. You have to include the back of the audience as well as the front row, especially when working outdoors when there are many other things competing for attention. Speed and attack are two of the things that mark the show as being particularly Punch and Judy rather than any other puppet show. Remember, the old-time showman used no amplification yet could still be heard. They developed their voices and their use of the swazzle out of necessity and there is no doubt that a good fast show will impress even today’s audiences.
3. Use Of The Swazzle
The Committee of the Fellowship that the use of the swazzle was essential for full membership although non-swazzlers are welcome as associate members. There can be no doubt that the swazzle marks both Punch and his cousins as different from other puppet characters. Children recognise the sound and come running when they hear his voice and it sets up an expectation in the audience. The rhythm and intonation that using the swazzle require tend to unify various performers and they seem to help evolve Punch’s identity. Basically, the swazzle should be loud and clear. Often it’s too high and weak. The best advice is to discuss this with performers who are good. I would suggest that no performer faced with a serious student will turn them away because what is good for Punch is good for all of us and if you look after him, he will look after you.