Hello! So finally I am getting to putting the notes I've taken and remember from the two weeks of play. This is a list of the cast with specific commedia character possibilities as discussed with Andrea, Jeff, David and Rich last Sunday.
Romeo - Innamorato
Juliet - Innamorata
Nurse - Franchescina (please note my spelling is off)
Friar - Dottore, Covello, possible everyman
Montague - Dottore
Capulet - Pantalone, Cavello
Benvolio - Flavio (innamorato type)
Mercutio - Arlecchino
Tybalt - Capitano
Paris - Inamorato type, more formal
Lady Montague - Rosaura
Lady Capulet - Laura
Prince - Magnifico (sort of Pantalone without the vices)
What/who are these characters you may ask. Well, here are more specific descriptions of the commedia characters per Andrea's notes (with photos.) (To be added when I can figure out the best way to import that document....ummm, help..
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8 comments:
Email me the doc, Heather. I'll get it up. Thanks!
Was the document on that thumb drive?
Yes, and I'm working on it. Actually, I should say Megan and Grey are working on it, and I'm sitting here, sucking my thumb, hoping I don't look too much the computer baby.
I think I mentioned this on the day I was out there playing with you, but I've actually done a Commedia version of R&J, masks and all, outdoors in Prospect Park. First let me say that it went over gangbusters. It really brought the play into this broad physical world that grabbed the audience immediately and held them -- and the audience was extremely varied, from the yuppie parents and toddler from the slope, to the home boys from prospect-lefferts (the "bad" side of the park) and everyone in between, including a lot of folks who just don't see theater. By distilling the character types and their motivations, it helped to clarify a lot of the relationships, and the style allowed us to get as broadly comic or bawdy as the text demanded. In a way, the Masks aided the audience in understanding the text, but removing them from the naturalistic world they are used to seeing. And the characters mapped really well to the Commedia types, as you guys have already figured out.
I'd suggest a few modifications to the chart that Heather presents. I admit that I'm not familiar with some of the types you guys have included on the list, but here's what we found worked with our production:
-- The Friar is definitely Dottore. It fits perfectly. At least, it did when I played him. In any case, he's certainly not an everyman. He's a bumbling old fool.
-- Old Capulet seems clearly to be Pantalone.
-- The guy who played Paris in our show also played him as a Pantalone type, though younger. He was completely driven by lust -- no trace of innocent love.
-- Mercutio was a Capitano, and I maintain that that fits best. He is perhaps more introspective than a typical Capitano, but ultimately he is spoiling for a fight as much as Tybalt is, and I think he is similarly a braggart. I mean, when Tybalt finally runs him through, he's bragging "No no, tis but a scratch"
-- Our Benvolio was almost a Brighella type -- sort of a dumber Zanni (Zanno? what's the correct singular?) That's partly due to the guy who played the role with us, and where his type naturally fell. It worked, but I can also see the role as more of an innamorato.
I have to say, I don't think there is an Arlecchino in this scenario. If there is at all, it is a minor role -- like, maybe, Romeo's man Balthazar.
And certainly the other small servant-type roles should be zanni as well (I mean those guys who brawl at the top of the show -- it's almost as if they habitually pick a fight before lunch time, then go eat and get together for a game of parcheesi in the afternoon.)
-Dave
is there a way to edit a comment? I just saw a typo in the one I just left...
I haven't figured out how to edit comments -- that's why I deleted one. I'll ask my husband, the computer expert.
I thought Brighella was Boss-Zanni? Sort of a mean trickster -- but definitely the highest status in the zanni set.
I can't figure out how to hyperlink in comments either. You'll find Andrea & Heather's document in the side bar.
Dave, I'd like to hear more about your show. Did you do the full text -- or improve on the scenario? Or a mix? Was the audience able to cry as well as laugh?
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