Western Daily Press (Saturday)
That’s the way to do it as Punch sees off the ‘troll’
APUNCH and Judy performer was asked to run through his show’s storyline by council officials after concerns were raised it was not fit for a modern audience.
Bristol-based John Harvey has already stopped using the hanging scene and the minstrel character. He has also made the slap stick pink with white dots.
But ahead of a family show at Page Park in Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire, he was contacted by council officials following concerns raised over its suitability.
Members of the Friends of Page Park group were also taken through the storyline “in some detail” after getting messages on social media.
Mr Harvey, who said the messages were the act of a troll, was eventually given the go-ahead and last Saturday he performed the show several times
in the park to good reviews from the public.
Speaking to the Western Daily Press, he said: “I have always said that Punch and Judy doesn’t encourage violence any more than Goldilocks encourages squatting.”
He added: “We get it all the time now.
“The show storyline is a tradition, but I move on with the times and it is, what I call, an evolving tradition. I don’t do the hanging scene, I don’t include the black man. It is a case of learning to tread carefully in a burning building. You have to change it a bit depending on your audience and if in doubt, leave it out.”
Mr Harvey has been performing the show since the 1980s. As well as removing the hanging scene he does not include the traditional hitting of the baby. He said the script had also been modernised, but he said demand was higher than ever.
He added: “Some people out there live in fear someone somewhere is out there having a good time.”
William Lee, trustee of the Friends of Page Park, said the event had been booked before with no problems.
He said: “We advertise it as happening in Page Park and we got one or two people unsure it was an appropriate thing to put on, so we checked it out a bit more and we heard that the council also had some concerns.
“We spoke to the chap who presents the show and he clearly had come across these sorts of questions before and he explained to us how the show had moved on with the times. John explained to us how things have been slightly modified, if you like. It is still Punch and Judy, but with a bit of a difference to make it so it is OK.”
Mr Lee added: “You can understand why people have got concerns because at the end of the day it involves violence toward a baby and domestic violence. I can understand both sides of the argument.”
A spokesman for South Gloucestershire Council said: “As landowners we are consulted on all applications to host events/activities.
“Some members of the public raised concerns about the suitability of this performance for a modern audience but following a discussion with the performer everyone felt confident there wouldn’t be a problem and the event was well received by those who attended.”