Friday, July 1, 2011

Friday Fun: Hector the Horse

Mark Poulton
Since the time of Britain’s earliest appearances of Mr. Punch, Hector the Horse has appeared early in the wooden-headed pantomime. Hector, a spirited equine, is due to be saddled and ridden by our Mr. Punch, but has ideas of his own—ultimately throwing our hunchbacked hero and causing him to declare, “I’m dead.” It’s Punch’s declaration of his own death which precipitates the need for the doctor, and, ergo, moves the play forward.

This performance by Punch & Judy Man Mark Poulton, a professor since 1989, beautifully demonstrates this portion of the traditional show.

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