Punch and Judy Birthplace


Punch and Judy Birthplace

The birthplace in England of the Punch and Judy puppet show.

Location: St Pauls Portico, Westminster

Description: On the 9th May 1662 Samuel Pepys was coming back from visiting a nearby ale-house when he stopped to watch a puppet show that was performing in Covent Garden.

It was the month that King Charles II (recently restored to the throne) was getting married and hordes of entertainers from all over Europe had thronged to the city hoping to make some money.

The Italian puppet play that Pepys saw was presented by puppetmaster Pietro Gimonde - or 'Signor Bologna' as he was known to his audience - and starred one of the great comic characters of all time.

The star puppet came originally from Naples, where he was known as Pulcinella, then toured across Europe to France - where he was called Polichinelle - and finally came to captivate English audiences who settled for calling him Punchinello.

Pepys' diary entry for 9th May reporting that he had seen the show is taken by today's performers as marking Punch's 'birthday'.

Tours: Elizabethan & Stuart London

Themes: TheatreTheatre Theme  ChildrenChildren Theme  HistoricalHistorical Theme
Punch and Judy Birthplace

The birthplace in England of the Punch and Judy puppet show.

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Credits: http://www.coventgardenlife.com/info/street_entertainers/punch_judy/punch_judy.htm

Other places nearby:


The Players' Theatre», 1.0km

Playwright Harold Pinter's Home», 3.6km

Rudolf Steiner Hall», 2.7km

The Palladium», 1.7km

The Shaftesbury Theatre», 1.1km

Small Theatre, Big Heart», 2.6km

Lost Bromley New Theatre», 8.9km

Ellen Terry's House and Theatre», 3.5km

The Globe Theatre», 0.3km

The Old Mercury Theatre», 4.2km

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