Il Pantalone beffato ovvero gli inganni dell'amore |
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by Alessandro Marchetti and Luisella Sala |
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A Farce of the Commedia dell'Arte Directed by: Alessandro Marchetti
Pantaloon Alessandro Marchetti Columbine Luisella Sala Harlequin Miguel Angel Cienfuegos Rosaura Luisa Ferroni Octavius, Doctor and Dead Man David Matthäus Zurbuchen Scenography and Costumes: Alessandro Marchetti; Tailor: Liana Dadoino, Cily Dobler; Masks: Renzo Antonello; Music: Giovanni Galfetti; Scene Production: Mario Bissegger, Attilio Wismer, Rosario Ilardo; Lighting/Technician: Sabine Wiesenbauer, Andrea Noseda; Photography: Anreas Zurbuchen; Administration: Manuela Hoffmann, David M. Zurbuchen, Gudrun Kopf; Tour Management: Paravento Theatre. A Farce by Alessandro Marchetti and Luisella Sala When love's irrational impulses are blocked, they almost always find some way of reaching their goal. This is exactly what happens in this farce of the commedia dell'arte. There is a guardian and a ward, as one would say in the eighteenth century. That means a greedy old man, an eager young girl, a sneaky maid, an idiotic servant and an enterprising lover, who are all caught up in a dizzying web made up money and love. From a plot that has been handed down orally by old families working in the theatre, Marchetti has drawn up a new draft for a farce in which the main purpose is openly the same to be found in this type of theatre: to entertain and amuse the audience. Consquently, all the ideas, jokes and tricks which he has learned, tested, gone back to and put into use in the course of his long acting career (over fifty years on the stage) are lavished on the skill of his actors. And even when such a traditional stage production might seem to be improbable or obscure, considered either rationally or as a piece of writing for the theatre, it carries within itself in the context of action in a scene a sort of spring which makes a laugh pop up. Thanks to a laugh it then becomes a cause that displaces deep-seated fears and brings about a therapeutic catharsis. At the end of the comedy Pantaloon, who still today can represent the leaders of a greedy and reactionary world, suffers public humiliation. This comforts us and gives us permanent faith in the all-conquering power of love .
Pantaloon Befooled or Love's Intrigues When love's irrational impulses are blocked, they almost always find some way of reaching their goal. This is exactly what happens in this farce of the commedia dell'arte. There is a guardian and a ward, as one would say in the eighteenth century. That means a greedy old man, an eager young girl, a sneaky maid, an idiotic servant and an enterprising lover, who are all caught up in a dizzying web made up money and love. From a plot that has been handed down orally by old families working in the theatre, Marchetti has drawn up a new draft for a farce in which the main purpose is openly the same to be found in this type of theatre: to entertain and amuse the audience. Consquently, all the ideas, jokes and tricks which he has learned, tested, gone back to and put into use in the course of his long acting career (over fifty years on the stage) are lavished on the skill of his actors. And even when such a traditional stage production might seem to be improbable or obscure, considered either rationally or as a piece of writing for the theatre, it carries within itself in the context of action in a scene a sort of spring which makes a laugh pop up. Thanks to a laugh it then becomes a cause that displaces deep-seated fears and brings about a therapeutic catharsis. At the end of the comedy Pantaloon, who still today can represent the leaders of a greedy and reactionary world, suffers public humiliation. This comforts us and gives us permanent faith in the all-conquering power of love .
"Pantaloon Befooled" or "Love's Intrigues" Pantaloon has a daughter-in-law, Rosaura, who is the widow of his deceased son. He is caught in the predicament of having to pay the expenses caused by keeping her in his home or having to return her dowry, according to the law, in the event of her remarrying, which is what she would like to do. He even goes so far as to think of marrying her himself in order not to lose the money he holds so dear. With the help of his servant Harlequin he locks her up in her room so that no one can get near her. In fact, he has seen an enterprising lover walking around the house. Octavius, the lover, does come to ask for the hand of Rosaura, but as soon as he mentions the dowry, Pantaloon brusquely chases him away. Columbine, the household servant, who is touched by the widow's tears, decides to help her get married. Octavius succeeds in meeting the widow thanks to a trick: he passes himself off as a singing teacher. He declares his love to her but is recognized by Harlequin and chased away again. The miserly old man believes he is a great painter, and Columbine contrives her plot by taking advantage of his ambition to be an artist. Octavius returns again in another costume on the pretence of wishing to commision a portrait of a dear friend who has died. There is a detail, however, namely, that the "dead man" had never had his portrait made while he was alive. The only way that his portrait can be made is to use him as a model. Pantaloon is afraid of having a corpse in his house but accepts because he is attracted by the fabulous sum that is offered. Octavius returns for the fourth time dressed as the "dead man" and brought in by Columbine. Pantaloon starts the portrait with Harlequin's help. Both of them are completely terrified by the surprising liveliness of the deceased, who then succeeds in getting hold of the key to Rosaura's room and getting inside. It is a real scandal! Columbine threatens to tell everyone about what has happened, thus making her old patron look ridiculous. Even though Pantaloon has been fooled, he does not want to give up the dowry. Columbine finds the solution: as long as he lives, the bride and groom will not insist on their rights to the money that is so well guarded. In the end Pantaloon agrees, and they all make peace with each other. The miser has been made a fool of but keeps his capital intact.
Theatre Studio Marchetti Sala Paravento Theatre Company Alessandro Marchetti is part of the history of the teatro dell'arte. His methods and knowledge are based on life and encounters with great actors of the past, like Cesco Baseggio, on family memories, on personal experience and working in the theatre. There is no book or research study, however good it may be, that can stand comparison with what one can learn from direct contact and working professionally with Marchetti. But when one speaks about teatro dell'arte, one is speaking about a great European tradition and a theatrical language that has crossed national borders all over the world and which still today enjoys the public's favour. This cultural heritage harmonizes universal communicativeness with the deep-rooted foundations of its orgins, which can be perceived in particular expressions in dialect of its most beloved characters. It is extremely difficult to find anything comparable to this. The encounter of the Paravento Theatre Company with the commedia dell'arte was an encounter with Alessandro Marchetti. Under his guidance Harlequin, Brighella, Pantaloon, Columbine, Balanzone and the Clowns have come back to life in a context that was multi-cultural from the beginning, where typical Swiss tolerance was enhanced by Latin American contributions and where the professional training of the actors was mostly done in schools of miming. The universality of the teatro dell'arte can also be seen from the facility with which its language is grafted onto similar situations where experience and training are not specifically directed to ends figuring within its scope. The encounter has been fruitful. New shows have been prepared, and the mark of that experience is at this point in time easily recognizable in all the productions of the Paravento Theatre Company. This encounter has now resulted in a qualitative leap. Alessandro Marchetti comes back on stage together with the Paravento Company. Punch would say: "È comm'o coco, che deventuie bistiecca, pp'o scfizzio d'iesse aggustato" ("It is like the cook who became a steak to satisfy his desire to be tasted"). As spectators of this new creation we can expect extraordinary delicacies and lots and lots of elegant and refined entertainment, which is just what the memory of the teatro dell'arte can be, and it is on stage. Vittore Nason |
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