Laughter from the past

• Source: Global Times
• [13:48 June 22 2010]
• Comments

Ferrucio Soleri as Arlecchino.

The rest of the actors are also highly accomplished in presenting the farcical situations in this play with innovative presentations of comical but articulate physical behavior.

Dottore, played by Paolo Calabresi, and Pantalone de'Bisognosi, played by Giorgio Bongiovanni, are the two masters in this play and they are both fathers of young, adventurous girls.

Dottore, a fractious father who has rejected his daughter's suitor, uses his huge belly as a brilliant prop, a perfect contrast to bony, obsequious Pantalone.

Venetian Carlo Goldoni created the play script in 1745 and called it, Servant of Two Masters.

He revised many of commedia dell'arte's original dramatic conventions, turning conventional archetypes into engaging characters.

As one of the founding productions of the Piccolo, Giorgio Strehler changed the name of Goldoni's original to Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters in order to emphasize the importance of Arlecchino.

Strehler used to say that he paid more attention than Goldoni to "the pleasure of acting" and "the pleasure of being."

The three-hour play will be performed in Italian, with Chinese and English subtitles.

And even those who don't speak Italian will be able to get a barrel of laughs from the hilarious body language from the accomplished actors as well as the universally hilarious plot.

Date: Tomorrow, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center 上海东方艺术中心

Address: 425 Dingxiang Road 丁香路425号

Ticket Application: www. expo2010italia.gov.it/en/culture-events

Call 5403-7233 for details