WANTED! Are These Williamsburg Puppeteers Actually Grifters in Disguise?

An itinerant puppet theater has been sighted recently on Duke of Gloucester St. At minimum the wooden-headed shows embrace the kind of inflammatory rhetoric favored by Mr. Henry. At worst they may be concealing some type of criminal activity.

The shows have aroused suspicion because the performers, unknown to the community, are not licensed. Nor do they sell tickets! Audiences are informed that they are experienced puppeteers merely trying to establish their reputation in town before charging for admission.

Yet very little is known about them. They arrived recently in Williamsburg, with no letters of introduction, claiming to be Alan and Sadie Gibbs, a brother and sister recently arrived in the colonies from London. The fact that they present themselves as acclaimed performers all over England begs the question of how they came to land in Virginia. What charges might they be running from? Are they thieves? Troublemakers? Enemies of the King?

Their productions are said to be very entertaining but last less than a half-hour, undoubtedly because they dare not stay too long in one place. While we have not been able to ascertain any firm schedule, puppet shows seem to be occurring on fair weather days around the hours of 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3 p.m. Inclement weather appears to keep the notorious duo off the street. Perhaps they are scheming or in their cups in one of the taverns.

Popular locations are in quiet backyards just off Duke of Gloucester St., in particular near Roscoe Cole House, the Red Lion Inn, and Mr. Charlton’s home near Wetherburn’s Tavern.

Miss Gibbs is known to troll the street shortly before performances to drum up interest, calling out to adults and children alike (people not even known to her) in a bellowing voice. In the meantime, Mr. Gibbs can be seen hauling a large contraption which is the stage. It appears eight feet in height and nearly four feet across, and very heavy.

The Gibbs duo presents farcical scenarios well known to theatergoers, as they use the stock characters that date back to Italy’s commedia dell’arte. In the English-speaking word, puppets in these clown roles go back to at least 1662, when the diarist Samuel Pepys reported viewing an “Italian puppet play” in London’s Covent Garden.

Punch is the most well-known of the characters, originating in the Italian clown Pulcinella. Over time, the spelling has changed to become Punch, but he is still the voice of the people, and frequently subversive. We have heard that this Punch spews his share of vitriol and contempt for monarchy and British authority, all in the name of satire.

One wonders how far the mocking will go, and how it might contaminate the public mind. Children may be thrilled by the silliness of the play, but adults will surely perceive deeper meanings. It is true that some of our most esteemed countrymen have delighted in impudent commentary directed toward both Parliament and the Monarchy. But in light of the hardships that have now befallen the Massachusetts colony, especially since their infamous “tea party,” should we be inviting measures to be taken against Virginia?

Punch’s wife, Joan, is another of the wooden heads, of course, and the devil appears frequently to offer temptation and appeal to the darker side of human nature.

But it’s a fourth character that raises questions about where the loyalties of these newcomers lie. “Glasgow” the dog is obviously meant to be the incarnation of our governor Lord Dunmore’s missing bulldog. The canine was stolen not long ago pilfered from the yard at the Governor’s Palace, and the beast’s fate is not known. But for the puppeteers this is another opportunity to take shots against the colony’s legal government and the Crown itself.

The puppets used are glove puppets, not the 4-foot tall marionettes used in more elaborate productions. Tom Hammond, the local costume designer of great note, created and dressed the puppets, but has not explained why he contracted work for such a dubious client. One wonders if he was even properly recompensed for his work.

He did admit spending some 15 to 20 hours handcrafting each puppet, and another 5 hours for each costume. After sketching out the design and creating patterns for each puppet, he crafted the heads out of three-quarters to one-inch-thick wood cut to the rough shape of the profile. Each figure was made in stages: first the nose, then the eye sockets, then the cheeks. The pieces connected to form the head. Then Tom refined the features, carving, sanding, and painting the puppets with gesso. Gesso is made up of hide glue and whiting, and helps the paint stick to the wood.

So the question we must ask of our neighbors is this: will you subject yourself to this base entertainment, which though said to be full of cleverness and frivolity, cannot possibly compare to higher pursuits, such as memorizing Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations or Xenophon’s Hellenica. The choice is yours.

Check out the puppet show at the Colonial Faire on Market Square from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. before Grand illumination this Sunday, Dec. 6, and on fair weather days all month long. In addition to photos shot by our team, we’d like to also give credit to Fred Blystone and Jerry Gammon!