For the uninitiated: Punch and Judy shows are an old theatrical tradition in which two puppets represent a constantly feuding old couple. In most of the comic sketches, the husband Punch tends to clobber his wife, sometimes with large, unwieldy instruments. Most historians accept that the form dates back to 15th century Italy and the commedia dell' arte character Punchinello, who carried around a "slapstick." (This wooden baton would later inspire a whole genre of physical comedy.) The Punch and Judy dynamic has come under fire in more enlightened times, now that people tend not to find humor in wife beating.

Who would ever have thought that these characters might take a break from their[...]