Punch and the Judy
Punch and the Judy is a comic ballet about marital discord choreographed by Martha Graham to music by Robert McBride. Arch Lauterer designed the set, Charlotte Trowbridge, the costumes. Edward Gordon Craig provided text for the narrated portions. The piece premiered on August 10, 1941, at the Bennington College Theatre in Bennington, Vermont.
Original cast
The roles include Punch, The Judy and their child; the winged horse Pegasus; Punch's mistress Pretty Polly; The Three Heroes: the Soldier, the Scout and the Highwayman; and three Fates. The original cast members were:- Martha Graham as The Judy
- Erick Hawkins as Punch
- Merce Cunningham as Pegasus
- Nina Fonaroff as the Child
- Pearl Lang as Pretty Polly
- Mark Ryder as the Soldier
- David Zellmer as the Scout
- David Campbell as the Highwayman
- Jean Erdman, Jane Dudley and Ethel Butler as the Fates
Title, theme and structure
The ballet's title is derived from the traditional, usually violent, Punch and Judy puppet theater. According to the original program notes, "'Punch and the Judy' concerns man and woman. The text is squabble and scuffle. The Three Fates are any three women who direct the lives of others. The Three Heroes are the Idealists. Pegasus is that force which enables us to imagine or escape."The ballet unfolds in seven sections:
- Overture
- Prologue-The Fates set the stage
- First Dilemma-The Judy soliloquizes-Punch shows off-The Child enters-Trouble starts
- Interlude-Pegasus enters-The Flight to Dream
- Second Dilemma-The family gathers-Pretty Polly enters-Punch seduces-The Judy rages-The Heroes exalt-The Judy despairs
- Interlude-Pegasus enters-The Flight to Dream
- Third Dilemma-The Justice is blindfolded-Punch triumphs-The Heroes march-The Fates intervene-Punch falls-The Judy intervenes-Punch brags again-The Judy chooses-The Fates direct, da capo