Lazzi
Lazzi (/ˈlɑːtsi/; from the Italian lazzo, a joke or witticism) are stock comedic routines that are traditionally associated with Commedia dell'arte. Performers, especially those playing the masked Arlecchino, had many of these "bits" in their repertoire, and would use improvisatory skills to weave them into the plot of dozens of different commedia scenarios.[1] [2]These largely physical sequences could be improvised or preplanned within the performance, and were often used to enliven the audience if a scene was dragging. [3]
Though some lazzi could be completely improvised by one individual, others were more complex and had to be rigoriously rehearsed by the entire troupe. The lazzi was often preplanned within the performance, and could also be instigated at any time if a scene was dragging, a line or cue was dropped and needed to be covered, or because a troupe was known for a specialized lazzi, and an audience was there to see it. [4]
History
16th and 17th Century Lazzi
The visual iconography from the 16th and 17th century depicting enactments of lazzi often include what would have been considered vulgar physical acts (i.e. a doctor administering an enema as seen in the supplementary visual aid). It has been proposed that the lack of written documentation of lazzi may be, in part, an attempt evade censorship from authorities. Others theorize that lazzi was not written down so that competing troupes could not steal the material.[3] Also, it has been suggested that there was no need to write it down because of the imbred nature of the troupes existence and training.[5]
While no inclusive compilation of lazzi exists, what is known about it has been derived from the fragmented writings of 16th and 17th century dramatists, visual iconography, and paintings. The earliest documentation of lazzi's conventionalization was found in the writings of Italian actor and writer Flaminio Scala. Nearly century later, Andrea Perrucci's The Art of The Rehearsed Performance and Improvisation depicted various lazzi used within commedia performance of the 16th and 17th century, and is one of the few extant lists from that era. [2] Another document written by Adriana di Lucca recounts a single troupes repertoire of lazzi, and is held at the Library in Perugia. [3] Most recently, Mel Gordon compiled a comprehensive collection of lazzi from 1550 to 1750 that breaks it down into categories based on the subject of the humor.
References
- ^ Boyd, Timothy W. (2011). "Memory on Canvas: Commedia dell'Arte as a Model for Homeric Performance". Project Muse. 26. Oral Tradition.
{{cite journal}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 18 (help) - ^ a b Smith, Winifred (1912). The Commedia Dell'arte: A Study in Italian Popular Comedy. The Columbia University Press. pp. 5–10.
- ^ a b Garfein, Herschel; Gordon, Mel; Turci, Gennaro (1978-01-01). "The Adriani Lazzi of the Commedia Dell'Arte". The Drama Review: TDR. 22 (1): 3–12. doi:10.2307/1145163.
- ^ Gordon, Mel (1983). The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte. Performing Arts Journal Publications New York. ISBN 0-933826-69-9.