Mutsu Carnival...The Play...A Commedia dell' Arte Fragment

When this painting of Mutsu was finished, what emerged was a definite echo of Harlequin and Columbine…. the combination of pinks, oranges, blues and greens are enticing….it’s one of my favourites.

I was inspired to write the outline of a play to go with the painting….although the characters are based on the Commedia dell’Arte, there the resemblance ends. The story is entirely my invention.

Here is a fragment of it. Enjoy.

Arlecchino [Harlequin] has three apples, one for Truffeldino, his son, one for Columbina whom he loves, and one for himself.

Pantolino the greedy, knowing that they are magic apples, wants them for himself.

Arlecchino gives them to Pedrolino the Honest, to hide them, but Pulcinella sees him and runs to tell Pantalone….since he can only make strange sounds, Pantalone can’t understand him and becomes very angry.

Meanwhile Scaramuccia steals the Apples, intending to sell them to Pantalone, but he is too cowardly, so he gets Brighella the evil one to go with him. Brighella has his own scheme and wants to get all the money for himself, so he can get Columbina to marry him. He thinks he can bribe her with one of the Apples.

When Arlecchino discovers that the Apples have been stolen, he is distraught, and thinks that now he has lost Columbina forever…TBC…..

From “The Three Apples” a Commedia, by Janis Zroback

Commedia dell’Arte (Italian: “the art of comedy”) is a form of improvisational theatre that began in Italy in the 16th century and held its popularity through the 18th century, although it is still performed today. Performances were unscripted, held outside, and used few props. They were free to watch, funded by donations. A troupe consisted of ten people: eight men and two women. Outside Italy the form was also known as “Italian Comedy”.

Conventional plot lines were written on themes of adultery, jealousy, old age, and love. Many of the basic plot elements can be traced back to the Roman comedies of Plautus and Terence, some of which were themselves translations of lost Greek comedies of the fourth century BC.
Performers made use of well-rehearsed jokes and stock physical gags, known as Lazzi and Concetti, as well as, of course, on-the-spot improvised and interpolated episodes and routines, called burle (singular burla, Italian for joke), usually involving a practical joke. Since the productions were improvised, dialogue and action could easily be changed to satirize local scandals, current events, or regional tastes, while still using old jokes and punch lines. Characters were identified by costumes, masks, and even props, such as a type of baton known as a slapstick. These characters included the forebears of the modern clown, namely Harlequin (English for arlecchino) and Zanni.

The classic, traditional plot is that the innamorati are in love and wish to be married, but one elder (vecchio) or several elders (vecchi) are stopping this from happening, leading the lovers to ask one or more zanni (eccentric servants) for help. Typically the story ends happily, with the marriage of the innamorati and forgiveness for any wrongdoings. There are countless variations on this story, as well as many that diverge wholly from the structure, such as a well-known story about Arlecchino becoming mysteriously pregnant, or the Punch and Judy scenario.wiki…

Harlequin and Columbine

• Favorite
• Report Concern
• Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Add your comment

You need to login or signup to add your comment to this work.

Tags:

acrylic, blue, food, fruit, janis, life, painting, pink, red, still, white and yellow