Martin Powell (puppetry)
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Martin Powell, (''fl''. 1709–1720; d. 1729) was an Irish master puppeteer and puppet show impresario, who put on a repertoire of satirical and parodical marionette shows that invariably featured the
Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...
character. He drew audiences first at provincial towns such as
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
, then moving his venue to London. His theatre (dubbed "Punch's Opera" or "Punch's Theatre") established itself in early 1710 at its first location, at the north end of St. Martin's Street intersected by Litchfield St., not quite in
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
. But by 1711 he relocated the theatre to the galleries of Covent Garden, at Little Piazza, opposite St. Paul's Church. He has been credited with establishing the stock form of the Punch and Judy plays.
Charles Magnin Charles Magnin (born in Paris, 4 November 1793; died there,7 October 1862) was a French author. Biography He received a brilliant education, and in 1813 became assistant in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, imperial library, and in 1832 one o ...
, the learned author of the ''Histoire des Marionnettes en Europe'', calls the years of Powell's pre-eminence "the golden age of marionettes in England." It has been commented "Powell is described as a deformed cripple but his powers of satire were considerable," to the extent that the ministry recruited Powell to lampoon the
French prophets Camisards were Huguenots (French Protestants) of the rugged and isolated Cévennes region and the neighbouring Vaunage in southern France. In the early 1700s, they raised a resistance against the persecutions which followed Louis XIV's Revocatio ...
to diminish their influence among the populace. He not only narrated (spoke the lengthy prologues), with a wand in hand, but was a puppeteer himself, and he is thought to have built his own puppet figures and written the plays himself. A 20th-century scholar assesses the period of Powell's prominent activity to be 1709–1720, the popularity of his puppetry having waned in the latter years, "his son briefly carried on the tradition in the
720s The 720s decade ran from January 1, 720, to December 31, 729. Significant people * Yazid II * Hisham * Leo III the Isaurian Leo III the Isaurian ( gr, Λέων ὁ Ἴσαυρος, Leōn ho Isauros; la, Leo Isaurus; 685 – 18 June 741) ...
, and he died 1729.


Repertoire


Bath

In Bath (1709), Powell had his success with, e.g., '' The Creation of the World'', which in its Noah's Flood segment featured "Punch and his wife dancing in the Ark." ''The Creation of the World,'' was also later put on by Powell at
Bartholomew Fair The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted to Rahere by Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew; and from 1133 to 1855 it took place each year on 24 August within the precin ...
. This puppet show was not exclusive to Powell at the time, and a puppeteer known as "Crawley" staged it at Southwark Fair in 1695, and later at Bartholomew Fair in 1727. *'' The Children in the Wood'', was "presumably performed at Bath". *'' Mother Shipton'', together with ''The Seven Champions of Christendom'' and ''Valentine and Orson.''


Covent Garden

Once in London, in an escalated rivalry with Her Majesty's Theatre in
Haymarket Haymarket may refer to: Places Australia * Haymarket, New South Wales, area of Sydney, Australia Germany * Heumarkt (KVB), transport interchange in Cologne on the site of the Heumarkt (literally: hay market) Russia * Sennaya Square (''Hay Squ ...
(i.e., with serious dramas and operas), he arranged various puppet operas, including: *"
King Bladud Bladud or Blaiddyd is a legendary king of the Britons, although there is no historical evidence for his existence. He is first mentioned in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' ( 1136), which describes him as the son of King Rud ...
, Founder of the Bath" (1711) *''The City Rake'' (''The Town Rake, or Punch turn'd Quaker'') (1711) *''The History of Sir Richard Whittington'' (" The True and Ancient History of Sir Richard Whittington, Thrice Lord Mayor of London, and his Cat") (1711) *''
Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay ''Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay'', originally entitled ''The Honorable Historie of Frier Bacon and Frier Bongay'', is an Elizabethan era stage play, a comedy written by Robert Greene. Widely regarded as Greene's best and most significant play, ...
'' (1711) *" Poor Robin's Dream, or the Vices of the Age Exposed" (end of April, 1711?) *''Faustus' Trip to the Jubilee'' (1712) – Spoof of '' Dr. Faustus'' *''The False Triumph; or, The Destruction of Troy (1712) *''The State of Innocence, or the Fall of Man.'' (1712) *''The Unnatural Brother, or the Orphan Betrayed'' (1712) *''Orpheus and Erudice'' (1712) *''Beauteous Sacrifice'' (1712) – new play but really a remake of ''Creation'' *'' Venus and Adonis, or the Triumphs of Love: a mock opera'' (1713) *''Mother Lowse'' (''Mother Louse'') (1714)


Response

One contemporary observer who often wrote following Martin Powell's career was Richard Steele, as an editor of the 1709–1710 journal '' Tatler, or the Lucubrations of Isaac Bickerstaff'' and later of the 1711 journal ''
Spectator ''Spectator'' or ''The Spectator'' may refer to: *Spectator sport, a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches *Audience Publications Canada * ''The Hamilton Spectator'', a Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, ...
''. In the ''Tatler'', Steele assumed the persona of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire, writing a (feigned) affront that Powell was mocking Bickerstaff through the puppet Punch. Not much here can be taken at face value, since the venom against Powell is in jest (characterized "bantering allusions"), the purported letter written by Powell to the editor is a "fictitious" fabrication, and in the subtext it is really about a veiled defense of his friend
Benjamin Hoadly Benjamin Hoadly (14 November 1676 – 17 April 1761) was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, of Hereford, of Salisbury, and finally of Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy. Li ...
in his church and state dispute against
Ofspring Blackall Ofspring Blackall (26 April 1655 (baptised) – 29 November 1716), Bishop of Exeter and religious controversialist, was born in London. Early life and education Baptized on 26 April 1655 at St Gregory by Paul's, he was the son of Thomas Blac ...
,
Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.
. Following up the bantering allusions to Powell in the ''Tatler'', Richard Steele, in the ''
Spectator ''Spectator'' or ''The Spectator'' may refer to: *Spectator sport, a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches *Audience Publications Canada * ''The Hamilton Spectator'', a Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, ...
'' (No. 14), made the under-sexton of
St. Paul's, Covent Garden St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, central London. It was designed by Inigo Jones as part of a commission for the Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford, 4th Earl of Bedford in 1631 to ...
, write to complain that his congregation took the warning of his bell, morning and evening, to go to a puppet show set forth by one Powell under the piazzas. "I have placed my son at the piazzas to acquaint the ladies that the bell rings for church, and that it stands on the other side of the garden; but they only laugh at the child." Another correspondent writes describing Powell's show, which he compares favourably with the opera at the Haymarket; "for whereas the living properties at the Haymarket were ill trained, Powell has so well disciplined his pig that in the first scene he and Punch dance a minuet together". When the fanatics called
French prophets Camisards were Huguenots (French Protestants) of the rugged and isolated Cévennes region and the neighbouring Vaunage in southern France. In the early 1700s, they raised a resistance against the persecutions which followed Louis XIV's Revocatio ...
were creating disturbances in Moorfields, the ministry ordered Powell to make Punch turn prophet, which he did so well that it soon put an end to the prophets and their prophecies. In 1710, says Lord Chesterfield, the French prophets were totally extinguished by a puppet show. On 20 April 1710 Luttrell mentions that four Indian sachems who were visiting London went to see Powell's entertainment. In the ''Groans of Great Britain'' (1711), formerly considered to be
Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...
's work, Charles Gildon (d. 1724) complains of Powell's popularity, and states that his wealth was sufficient to buy up all the poets of England. "He seldom goes out without his chair, and thrives on this incredible folly to that degree that, were he a freeman, he might hope that some future puppet show might celebrate his being Lord Mayor as he hath done
Dick Whittington Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale ''Dick ...
." Steele, who saw Powell as late as 1729, states that he made a generous use of his money. Martin Powell's shows lost popularity in within a matter of few years, and dropped out into obscurity after a mention in the anonymous pamphleteer ballad, ''Bartholomew Fair: An Heroi-Comical Poem'' (1717). In 1715,
Thomas Burnet Thomas Burnet (c. 1635? – 27 September 1715) was an English theologian and writer on cosmogony. Life He was born at Croft near Darlington in 1635. After studying at Northallerton Grammar School under Thomas Smelt, he went to Clare Colle ...
wrote a brief biography entitled ''A Second Tale of a Tub, or History of Robert Powell the Puppet Showman.'' The substitution of Robert for Powell's real name, Martin, was made to render the obvious satire upon Robert Harley,
Earl of Oxford Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. ...
more effective.


Explanatory notes


References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Addison and Steele, edd., ''The Spectator'' (1711). ** * Magnin's ''Hist. des Marionnettes'', pp. 236–44; * Morley's ''Bartholomew Fair'', p. 315; * Ashton's ''Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne'', passim; * Swift's ''Works'', ed. Scott, vii. 143 * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Martin Puppeteers 18th-century Irish people 1729 deaths 18th-century theatre Year of birth missing