'Kugutsu' - An Evening Of Japanese Puppetry at the Little Angel Theatre

Direct from Japan to attend Mr Punch’s 350th birthday celebrations, two masters of kugutsu – Shiro Ito and Eimei Katami – will be appearing at the Little Angel Theatre in London on Thursday, 10 May, to present an evening of puppetry, including a Japanese-style Punch and Judy show.

One of the earliest forms of hand puppetry, kugutsu was first seen on the street corners of Kyoto in the 7th century, the puppeteers – or kugutsu-shi – performing from a waist-high box suspended from their necks by a cord.

It was in 1988 when Percy Press II (Percy Press Snr. is considered the ‘king of Punch and Judy men’) came to Japan that Uncle Shiro started his Punch show in and around Tokyo. It was intended that before Percy’s performance, Uncle Shiro would introduce what Mr Punch is like to the Japanese audience who knew nothing of it. Ito did it very well, so much so that Percy accepted him as a Punchman. In addition to his career as a dexterous puppeteer for more than a quarter of a century, he has played Punch for another quarter of a century.

The Japanese kugutsu night includes three performances:

• Punch by Ito Shiro, performed in English.

• Kugutsu by Katami Eimei, a traditional performance in Japanese of kugutsu puppetry from ancient Kyoto.

• The classic tale of Snow White, performed by puppets in Japanese under the mastery of Ito Shiro.

The evening is part of The Big Grin Festival and will be hosted and directed by Yoriko Iwata.

Duration: 90 mins with an interval

Please Note: The majority of these performances will be delivered in Japanese. A translated programme will be available.

For more information, please take a look at the flyer or contact the Little Angel Theatre:

Box office: 0207 226 1787

Online bookings: www.littleangeltheatre.com

The Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, Cross Street, London, N1 2DN