CLASSIC COMMEDIA CHARACTERS
Pantalone Il Dottore Isabella Vittoria Lelio Silvio Arlecchino Columbina Brighella personality QUIZ!!
VECCHI ("Old Men" / "Masters")
Archetype: Pantalone
Goldoni: Pantalone
Bean: "Charlie the Duck"
Pantalone is a miserly, crochety old man, who has a weakness for gold and, in some versions, for the ladies. As the richest man in town, he holds a position of power and status in any scenario, with the plot usually revolving around Pantalone standing in the way of two young lovers being together (either because he prefers selling his daughter to someone else, or because he's creepily interested in the female lover himself). Traditionally his mask has a large, hooked nose, bushy eye brows, and often a glued on beard. His posture is usually bent with age, his head held forward, allowing him to near-sightedly peer over his long nose. His hands (despite the picture) are often held in a Tyrannosaurus-like gestus before him, and his money pouch--conspicuously displayed--has often slipped forward due to his bent posture, now hanging in front of his crotch, giving the unpleasant image of a scrotum. Depending on the version, he is the epitome of the grumpy old man, the dirty old man, the miserly old man, or all three. Take a comical Ebenezer Scrooge and occassionally add a dash of Family Guy's Herbert, and you've got Pantalone.
This and all interview clips on this page created for Piccolo Theatre. Filmed & edited by Rachel Bykowski, 2011.
Mr. Burns from The Simpsons
Archetype: Il Dottore
Goldoni: Dr. Lombardi
Bean: Harry Dangle
Il Dottore ("the Doctor") fancies himself as the wisest gent in the village; displaying the hypocracy inherent in all Commedia masters, however, Il Dottore is actually extremely foolish, given to malaprops, flights of illogical ramblings, and superstition. He is an associate of Pantalone's, and usually holds some position of learning (a judge, professor, lawyer, physician, etc.). He is typically portrayed as relatively corpulent, and often wears the recognizable attire of his profession. Notably, his is the only mask without cheeks -- the reason being actors would rouge their cheeks to show Il Dottore's regular drunkeness. If you could combine Vizzini from the Princess Bride, Zoidberg from Futurama, and Owl from Winnie the Pooh, you'd have Il Dottore.
Piccolo Theatre
Owl from Winnie the Pooh
INNAMORATI (the lovers)
Archetype: Isabella/Angellica/etc.
Goldoni: Clarice
Bean: Pauline
Isabella is one of Commedia's female lovers--known for her beauty, her charm, and especially her expensive tastes. Almost always the daughter of a rich master character (very often Pantalone, the richest of them all), she often betrays a certain level of "spoiled," but it's important to note that she is not a "Mean Girl"-style villain. As one of the lovers, the audience must care for her, and forgive her spoiled ways as a symptom of youth rather than true greed. She was often played in either a domino or no mask at all, and often dressed in high fashion. Some scholars have claimed she's more in love with the idea of being in love than actually having any true feelings for another, though I would argue this is a matter of actor and production interpretation. One part Kardashian, one part Taylor Swift, and a heaping helping of Cher from "Clueless."
Piccolo Theatre
Charlotte at the ball in the Princess and the Frog
Archetype: Vittoria/Jessica/etc.
Goldoni: Beatrice
Bean: Rachel
Vittoria is one of Commedia's female lovers--but unlike Isabella, she tends to meet the "Diamond in the Rough" trope. Often either an orphan or the daughter of an undesirable father (plot-wise at the time, "undesirable fathers" could include paupers, alcoholics, or--like Jessica in Merchant of Venice--Jews), Vittoria enters the play with a greater level of "street smarts," chutzpah, and--quite often--maturity due to her past. Not necessarily the funniest character, though she has heart, and there's sometimes room for comic relief surrounding her troubles with some feminine social graces. Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink is, perhaps, the Queen of the Vittorias.
Piccolo Theatre
Andie confronts her father in Pretty in Pink
Archetype: Lelio/Romeo/etc.
Goldoni: Florindo
Bean: Stanley
Lelio the male counterpart to Vittoria, Lelio is sensitive and philosophical. While not a pushover (in some productions, he may even be a master swordfighter), he nonetheless has a dreamer's eye and a poet's heart. His fault is that he tends to carry the negative societal consequences of being a "dreamer," and--in some versions--lets his emotions run away from him, over-reacting to situations (whether falling madly in love or lashing out in anger). Sometimes may have the role of the "misunderstood undesirable," i.e. -- someone that society shuns but the female lover "really understands." Shakespeare's Romeo and Moulin Rouge's Christian are two possible examples of Lelios.
Piccolo Theatre
Christian singing "Your Song" in Moulin Rouge
Archetype: Silvio/Flavio/etc.
Goldoni: Silvio
Bean: Alan
Silvio is the male counterpart to Isabella, and matches her posing and gesticulating every step of the way. He is handsome, brilliant, a genius, and a great swordsman -- or, at least, he is according to him! That said, don't mistake his self-infatuation with the more villainous Il Capitano -- Silvio, like Isabella, isn't a bad guy... he's just a bit overly spoiled and sheltered. The audience should feel that, given time to grow up and get some experience, he could actually be a decent human being, and part of our experience should be routing for him to do so. That said, he's the handsome-and-he-knows-it, mansplaining, "jerk at the beginning of the romantic comedy who the female lead hates but is strangely attracted to" trope that we all know and hate/love. 90% of romantic comedies (which, of course, owe a lot to Commedia) have this character -- part Johnny Bravo, part Captain Hammer, part Disney World guy who plays Gaston [rather than the more "evil" Gaston of the film].
Piccolo Theatre
Opening to Johnny Bravo
ZANNI (Servants)
Archetype: Arlecchino/Harlequin
Goldoni: Truffaldino
Bean: Francis
Arlecchino is arguably the most famous of the Commedia masks, whether as "Arlecchino," "Truffaldino," or the infamous "Harlequin." In One Man, Two Guvnors his typical loud plaid is undoubtedly an homage to the famous multi-colored "patched" wardrobe -- in later years seen as a brightly colored diamond jester's jumpsuit (a la "Harley-Quinn"), but originally a comical outfit made up of clashing patches (the theory being that he is so poor and he has patched his suit so often that there is no original suit left -- just scores of patches!). His appetite (primarily for food, but also for drink and ladies) often leads him into mischief, though he doesn't have a single mean or cruel bone in his body. Ruled by his id, he is like a ten-year-old on a sugar high, bouncing from idea to idea. He primarily gets through life by being fast, witty, and quick with a trick, but should NOT be confused with Brighella or others who "plot" out mischief; rather, he excels at thinking on his feet, and like Charlie Chaplin's Tramp or Alladin at the beginning of the Disney film, he relies on his quick wit, improv, and boyish charm to get him out of everything. He often carries a slapstick (used for comic slaps, rather than overly violent ones), has very small eyeholes in his mask which make him fully turn his head to see things (Rudlin assumes this lack of peripheral vision is the origin of the "double-take"), and typically has a puppy love infatuation with Columbina. See notes on the "Commedia" history/style page about the importance of his costume! In his smartest incarnations, he's part Charlie Chaplin, part Bugs Bunny; the rest of the time, when not QUITE so wise, he's one part Tigger, one part Bart Simpson, one part Red Bull Energy Drink, and a large dollop of Pixar's UP's "Doug the Dog" saying "SQUIRREL." Arlecchino is the lovable pauper who is usually on the wrong side of the Masters, but always beloved by the audience.
Piccolo Theatre
A hungry Charlie Chaplin gets a meal...
Archetype: Columbina
Goldoni: Smeraldina
Bean: Dolly
Columbina is often a "lead" servant of some kind -- perhaps a lady-in-waiting, perhaps a "head of household" maid -- she undeniably fits with the "zanni" class of servants, and yet, through her intelligence, her wit, her street smarts, and, at times, her ability to use her looks, physique, and batting eyelashses to get anything she wants out of men (including masters), she is often able to be the most influential character in the plot. Often portrayed as either in a domino or with no mask, she has the beauty of the lovers (if often a bit more voluptuous), the freedom of movement of the servants, and intelligence which outshines any of the classes. She is often portrayed as adoring Arlecchino while simultaneously being aware of his unreliability and childishness. More often than not, if Columbina is present in a Commedia scenario, she'll be the one to unravel the play's many knots, or at least give the leads the advice they need. Moliere made great use of the Columbina archetype in his maids (see especially Dorine in Tartuffe), though she also often pops up in "funny-but-wise best friend" positions in various contemporary romantic comedies.
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Piccolo Theatre
Example of a best-friend as brash sounding board in This Means War.
Archetype: Brighella
Goldoni: Brighella
Bean: Lloyd Boateng
Brighella, like Columbina, is a servant (zanni) that has risen to a level of limited power and status (often a head butler, a bartender, a maître d', etc. Also like Columbina, he is usually quite intelligent--far more so than either the lower servants or the masters. Unlike Columbina, however, he has no interest in using his wits to help the young lovers (or anyone else), unless it also happens to help himself in some way. He is not above lying, cheating, or even--in some plays--violence, if it means extra gold or power. Most of the time, however, he seems to simply enjoy fleecing others and feeling superior to all. Although this might make him seem like an unlikeable character, his dastardliness is offset by a dark charisma and an alluring guardedness which often makes him extremely enjoyable to watch.Examples include Robert Guillaume's brilliant "Benson" character, Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and, as included below, Rowan Atkinson as the Prince's Butler in the third season of Blackadder.
Piccolo Theatre
"Macbeth!" from Blackadder the Third
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