The Codmans - Liverpool's Punch & Judy family
In 1860 Richard Codman, woodcarver, puppet showman and musician, arrived in Liverpool and was awarded a prime site on an open cobbled square known as the “Quadrant” between the market and Lime Street Station. Professor Codman, as he was known, began entertaining the people of Liverpool on a regular basis with his ‘Punch and Judy’ puppet shows.
History tells us that Mr. Punch arrived in England in the reign of Charles II, after Cromwell’s austere rule.
His name is derived from the Italian "pulcinella" .. soon shortened for English audiences to "Mr. Punch".
Unlike today’s performances, the original was a marionette, dancing and cavorting on strings.
When Punch’s popularity began to wane, he became a glove puppet, with a host of other characters, and what had begun as a fairly unwieldy marionette theatre, with a crew of assistants became a one man travelling show.
In those early days there were a variety of different plots, depending on who put on a show, but soon one version became the standard.
Punch and Judy became a tale of marital disharmony and challenges to authority - hence the policeman!
And just as now, performances over the years have been both topical and satirical, with guest appearances by the stars of the day
The Punch and Judy show stood in the square at St Georges Place from the 19th century up until 1957 when they decided to make a huge traffic roundabout which went around St George’s Hall, the show was literally in the way.
"There was a big hoohaa about retaining it, but of course the authorities won in the end and suggested an alternative site, which was St George’s Plateau.
Professor Codman Quote !
"In my early days, I pestered my father to such an extent that he gave in and I used to sit inside on a box watching him.
"It was incredible the things I watched, arms and legs flying up in the air and goodness knows what.
"Punch always has his stick.
"Slapstick is a pantomime thing. Two pieces of wood with a little bit in the middle that made a slapping sound. Or that’s the way to do it, I should say.
"It’s not an actual voice, but a prevetta was used in the original shows and it’s still used in our shows.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fhKrCzxX46...h+and+Judy.jpg
"The show was eventually moved to Williamson Square until the received a request to go to the Museum of Liverpool Life, which is where it is today."
http://liverpoolpicturebook.com/
