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PANTOMIME AND COMMEDIA DELL'ARTE (historical influence (17th century…
PANTOMIME AND COMMEDIA DELL'ARTE
development of pantomime
origins with commedia dell'arte
improvised
subject/relationships pre-determined
latitude to heighten & embellish
long life (14th-18th C.)
describes how not what
acting
stress on wit, surprise & emotion
verbal jousting/wordplay
attempt to be good & well-known
first acting professionals
characters
overview
pantalone
stupid, guillible
bad temper, butt of jokes
essentially fool character
doctor
old, professional
conceited & pretentious
captain
extraordinary tales of military skill - boastful
zanni
jester/valet to the doctor
dress, phrases, curses, exits around each mask
chunks of text to fill in the blanks
groups
vecchi
older professionals
doctors, scholars, military men
cowardly
doctor - fake medicines
captain - dubious war record
zanni try to outwit the vecchi
ordinary folk overthrowing their masters
surviving against the odds
in the face of corruption
low level political dimension
historical influence
17th century
harlequin figure
central character & romantic lead
stages in england
visual performance
predominantly french actors
axton - absurd, knockabout, bawdy fun
what has been impacted?
four centuries of popularity
shakespeare and molière
french & english comedy
traditional drama
not just character traits
style of speaking, lines, creativity
traits persisted despite disconnect
18th century
john rich
dancer/gymnast
combined commedia with other traditions
amazing transformations
more themes on border crossings and ambiguity
spectacular images entertaining
also transgressive
cross-dressing & animal disguise
fusion of commedia and spectacle
also trad drama
critics hugely against
foreign, threat to 'native' theatre
move to festive time
david garrick
18th C. actor/manager
vulgar and cheap
going to undo the theatre
also considering commercial success
limited performances to christmas time
associated with holiday season
festive culture already there
no longer a threat
dynamic - control of drama and pre-existing forms
shared qualities and characters
reflected in trad drama
move from visiting customs to public spaces
fusion with early popular dramatic ideas
underlying concerns
social context
end of 18th C., political/social unrest
period of carnival
express frustrations
c.f. political undertones previously
joseph grimaldi
counter-cultural
deliberate dialogue with audience
nonsense commentary on govt
fantasy world on the stage
carnivalesque
people have a dramatic form that's theirs
dialogue with authority through traditional forms
form traditional, content/allusions altered
oppositional categories
19th C. female character
audience identifies with
played by a man
speak in a distinct way
rhythms of ordinary speech, absurdist language
harmony always restored
boundary (performer/audience) dissolves
c.f. trad drama
performers always in charge/dominate
c.f. strawboys
collective ties
community sees itself through trad forms