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| Salvatore Gatto |
We once again visit Mr. Punch’s Italian ancestor, Pulcinella, in this recent video of a live Pulcinella show performed in Italy. Entitled Pulcinella e il cane, we see the comic anti-hero behaving in a very Punch-like manner (complete with swazzle-enhanced voice) and interacting with a rather wide-mouthed canine. Unlike the British version of Mr. Punch, Pulcinella seems to have something of an antagonistic relationship with the dog. Whereas Mr. Punch and his doggy chum, Toby, usually got along well together (unless, of course, there are sausages to fight over), Pulcinella and the dog are having some difficulties. British Punch shows assign the role of the biting antagonist to the crocodile (also a fan of sausages). The crocodile is known to snap at Mr. Punch. Here, the dog and Pulcinella have a similar relationship.
What’s fascinating about this video, aside from seeing the roots of Mr. Punch, we also see behind the tent and get a glimpse of the puppeteer performing his art. Enjoy!
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