Martin Puntigam returns with a comic quest for sainthood

Graz cabaret artist Martin Puntigam has returned with his first solo show since 2019, premiering “The Holy Puntigam” in Graz on Tuesday, ORF reports.

In the show, Puntigam seeks higher powers and pursues canonisation partly because he does not want to be forgotten for all eternity. He delves into the church’s eccentric traditions to find out how the process works, including a rumour that the Messiah of Saint Catherine presented his foreskin as a wedding ring. The show also features “swallowable devotional images” marketed as “sacred superfood” and social criticism.

Puntigam is joined by Kreuzi, a talking puppet who was an eyewitness to death and the Ascension. Before he can consider what he would like to leave behind as a relic, he needs a saint’s name. Since Martin is already taken, he settles on Puntigam.

A virtuous, self-sacrificing ancestor who did good in Bosnia and was close to heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand offers some family credentials. But Puntigam says he cannot claim either martyrdom or exceptional virtue.

A miracle is needed to leave something for eternity. Puntigam mixes a blood miracle on stage using a recipe from a fellow Science Buster, but the first attempt does not go to plan. The required miracle is accomplished at the end of the second part.

The show premiered at Graz cabaret venue Hin&Wider. Further performances at Theatercafé are scheduled through Saturday, as well as on Jan. 15 and 16, 2027.