Root-a-toot-toot. That’s the way to do it! Those words, quoted from the rascallion Mr. Punch from Punch and Judy fame, describes the wickedly funny antics that are currently taking place at Caravan Farm Theatre this summer.
Not to be confused with the Neil Gaiman graphic novel of a similar title, The Tragical Comedy of Punch and Judy could be subtitled, “How Mr. Punch learns to be a more kind and compassionate person, sort of….”
Written by Victoria playwright Jacob Richmond, with music and lyrics by fellow capital city dweller Hank Pine, this tragicomedy-musical is part puppet show, part circus, part rock opera, with about every other absurd element thrown in for good measure.
Played in human form by the hilariously expressive Paul Braunstein, Mr. Punch really is a class-A jerk. We first encounter him in puppet form with his band of merry characters from the original Punch and Judy show.
There’s the delightfully goofy Joey the Clown, played by the energetic Daniel Maslany (yes brother to Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany, proving that talent does run deep in Regina); living doll Pretty Polly (the lovely Lucy Hill, another Regina native); Mr. Pugs the Shaved Monkey (Thomas Jones, who needs no words to convey his character); the miserly bookkeeper Scaramouch (Christopher Hunt, who has become a regular around these parts, thank goodness) and the odd duck Jack Ketch the Hangman (a flexible Treena Stubel).
For the past 350 years, Mr. Punch has literally tossed the baby out with the bath water and wielded his weapon of choice like a high-sticking hockey enforcer, slapping everyone around both verbally and physically. His wife, Judy (played by Sarah May Redmond, and her incredibly powerful voice), has had enough.
Tired of taking it on the chin, Judy is egged on by the dastardly Devil (Colin Doyle, unrecognizable from the delightful dweeb he played in last year’s Caravan play Head over Heels, and sporting a fine French accent under all that red makeup) to make a move. She sets her sights on the namesake from that Greek tragedy written by Sophocles 2,500 years before, the dashing Oedipus Rex (the kingly Paul Fauteux).
After Judy dashes off with her paramour into the woods, the Devil interferes once again to help Mr. Punch win her back and go on with the show.
Out of the woods is the guide to the netherworld, ferryman Charon taking the form of a 40-foot skeleton with a giant head (actually one of the many puppets designed by the immeasurably talented Catherine Hahn.)
Once in the depths, Mr. Punch encounters a few other sprightly creatures – a giant serpent and the Oracle of Delphi, Pythia. To be honest, they don’t make much of an impression on Mr. Punch (the guy’s a stubborn jackass) but they do have an affect on the audience, judging from the audible gasps.
Also impressing with their force of nature are the horses, including Caravan’s new team of Clydesdales, Spike and Frenchie, who drag the set pieces, including a familiar caravan sporting the Punch and Judy theatre, to start the scenes.
The second act goes on a journey – by foot from the farm’s riding ring up in the woods to its rain venue, the open air timber frame barn– into territory you just have to see to believe.
Basically, Mr. Punch is convinced by you know who to put on his own version of Oedipus Rex, hilariously titled The Stabbed Eyeball.
Let’s just say the show enters into Rock of Ages territory, with Mr. Punch doing his best Axl Rose impression as the doomed king with mommy issues, and even has a hip-hop element and an impassioned plea for women’s rights, courtesy of Joey the Clown and Pretty Polly, respectively. Meanwhile, Mr. Pugs gets his only speaking, make that singing part, and an interpretive dance shows both of Jack Ketch’s sides, a snort-out-loud scenario.
This cockamamy lead-up makes the tragic scene that comes near the end of the play within a play a bit of a downer, but as this is billed as a tragicomedy, there ought to be one stab in the proverbial eyeball.
The message here: love is worth the pain, and never trust your demons.
Accompanied by an incredibly talented band (trumpeter Alfons Fear, Mishelle Cuttler, on accordion and piano, and drummer Andrew Taylor), the kids will be up dancing to the tunes that run from vaudevillian fare to disco, even when the humour flies right over their heads. And they’ll love those puppets!
In all, The Tragical Comedy of Punch and Judy is a rootin’, tootin’ hoot.
The play continues at Caravan Farm Theatre nightly at 7:30 p.m. now to Aug. 24 (no shows Mondays.) Tickets are available at the Ticket Seller, 250-549-7469, ticketseller.ca.
