Commedia Character Shorts are here! (Chapter 1)

Arlecchino!

Arlecchino is always a Commedia favorite.  Traditionally he is a servant (zanni) to Pantalone, Capitano, or Dottore, and is generally accepted as the most intelligent of the zanni characters.  He tries to trick his masters, but usually fails.   In Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters his name has been changed to Truffaldino (roughly, "Little Trickster") and much of the action exists because he tries to outwith everyone and serve two masters at the same time. Food holds amazing power over all of the zanni, but particularly this chap, so you can easily understand that two masters means twice the pay which means....twice the food!  He is also very much in love with Smeraldina, one of the other zanni in the play.  Will he win her over AND get permission to marry her AND serve two masters?  You'll have to see Truffaldino live and in action!

Arlecchino, PiccoloTeatro di Milano

• Arlecchino's costume is a rather tight jacket and pants, with bright multi-colored patches, usually in diamond shapes.  They can be in a symmetrical or asymmetrical pattern. 
• Arlecchino wears a belt and a slapstick.  (This is where "slapstick comedy," comes from).  A slapstick is made out of two thin strips of wood separated at the handle by a half an inch or so.  When the slapstick hits an object, the two strips of wood slap against each other  to make a loud sound, without hurting the person being hit. 
• Arlecchino's mask consists of a black half-mask and a black chin-piece. The mask's forehead is strongly lined with wrinkles, accentuating a slightly quizzical arch to the eye brows. The eye holes are arranged in such away as to convey and expression of astonishment, sensuality and craftiness. There is traditionally a tumor like growth billowing out under one eye along with a wart. The eyebrows and beard are bushy consisting of stiff bristles. This ensemble of characteristics portrays something savage and fiendish, with cat like qualities. The mask is such that it opens many possibilities to character and action.The nose is not very big, since he is very intelligent.
• Arlecchino is always moving, in acrobatic and agile ways.  Therefore, the actor who plays him should be very flexible.  His knees are always bent, as if he could spring up at any minute into a leap or acrobatic move.  Like Zanni, Arlecchino is led by his nose--his head follows an object, and then his body goes after it.

Here's more from the amazing Omen Sade, who plays Truffaldino in our production.

Check back here regularly over the next few weeks and we'll guide you through the basics of traditional Commedia characters and give you an insider's look at our production of Servant of Two Masters.  Want more information on Commedia?  Visit the Piccolo Theatre Website or email info@piccolotheatre.com with specific questions.