MR PUNCH AT THE OPERA at the Arcola Theatre

★★★

“At last! Hubert sings, with Matthew Kellett’s beautiful baritone and nice comedic performance”

I took two young reviewers with me to see Mr Punch at The Opera, Mila (9) and Willow (5) as the show is supposedly an introduction to the world of opera for children. The production is part of the Arcola Theatre’s annual Grimeborn Opera Festival – a playful nod to Glyndebourne.

What could be better than a new take on Pergolesi’s Renaissance opera La Serva Padrona, but using the setting and characters from Punch and Judy? Punch and Judy, with its origins in Italian commedia dell’arte, the grotesque, the laughter, the characters, the traditional short scenes, slapstick, humour, mayhem, intentional violence, domestic abuse, shocked laughter a plenty – and everyone dies. Perfect for an opera – but sadly Mr Punch at The Opera is not.

Mr Punch at The Opera tells the tale of old Hubert whose maid Serena teaches him some tough lessons and manipulates him into marriage; whilst back centre stage, there is a traditional Punch and Judy theatre that reveals its glove puppet characters, who slightly interact with the duo’s storyline. If only director Becca Marriott had directed Mr Punch at The Opera to run at breakneck farcical speed it would have had some identity to a Punch and Judy show, but sadly it was not.

Mr Punch at The Opera starts with the Puppetry Director (Professor James), dragging a heavy wicker basket onto the stage space. He opens it, and we see the character of Hubert inside – who must have been crouched up in there for some 15 minutes waiting for the audience to enter! Slowly Hubert (Matthew Kellett) unfolds with realistic puppet moves and bows to the audience. Great start – and my imagination was spinning with excitement as could opera meet puppetry….?

Enter Serena (Grace Nyandoro) the maid, then talks to the audience pantomime style about being a feisty strong modern woman, no singing. Serena continually goads her boss, Hubert.

At last! Hubert sings, with Matthew Kellett’s beautiful baritone and nice comedic performance. It was a shame that Kellett plays the Hubert character as an old man when speaking and moving, especially when he finally breaks into song his voice sounds so vibrant and young. It would have worked better in this new production if Hubert had been a spoilt young man. As Hubert sings about hot chocolate, we have our first sighting of a puppet in the upstage puppet theatre – the crocodile who steals and guzzles down Hubert’s hot chocolate then his string of sausages. Serena does not believe Hubert’s cries of crocodile – even though the few children (and mostly adult audience) shouted to her “it’s behind you”!

Serena ties Hubert up with a washing line and steals Mr Punch’s large slapstick and threatens to use it on Hubert, as the slapstick makes its slapping noises. One presumes, with the same glee that we would usually associate with Mr Punch, as he abuses his various victims. Is this what Mr Punch at The Opera is about, turning the domestic abuse usually seen in Punch and Judy on its head, making the female the abuser? Serena demands that Hubert marry her, or she will have to marry the Policeman, another puppet character. Hubert refuses so she cries and uses hypnosis, and he falls in love, and they share a kiss.

There was not much audience participation and no gleeful shouting audience – although the adults were given party blowers which they were told to use by Serena, when something they didn’t agree with was happening – but it was all a bit confusing as clearly Serena was making them blow at the bad things she was doing, and I wanted to use it when I felt sorry for poor abused Herbert – so I’m not sure when they were supposed to be used.

Professor James is clearly a professional Punch and Judy theatre performer and was very adept at all the characters he played, including the most famous of lines “that’s the way to do it”, which we just about heard. He was much more comfortable hiding in plain sight in his little puppet theatre than when forced to leave his safe space and perform out front in full view. Grace Nyandoro plays Serena as a rather hardened, manipulative, abusive young woman with her crocodile tears, just after poor Hubert’s money. She has a pretty soprano – when she doesn’t try to sing in chest through certain lines, which was not pretty at all. The musical director at the piano was Panaretos Kyriatzidis alongside cellist Alison Holford, both accomplished musicians. Mr Punch at The Opera was created by The Opera Makers company.

Mila and Willow enjoyed Mr Punch at The Opera, but neither had any clue what was going on or what it was about. Neither had they ever heard of Punch and Judy, until we explained what to expect before leaving to go on our opera adventure. Willow didn’t have a favourite moment, but for Mila it was the singing, and she said she would like to give Mr Punch at The Opera three stars. Mr Punch was very lucky that I was sharing my review with Mila – but as an opera for children I was very pleased I was sharing my experience with these first time opera goers. Brava Mila and Willow.