Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Goldoni -http://www.nonsolobiografie.it/biografia_carlo_goldoni.html
Carlo Goldoni became famous for his may theatrical wars. "In 1750, he met a warrior's challenge by promising to write sixteen new plays within a year; and after he had succeeded in doing exactly that, he stood aloft as Venice's most popular and most productive playwright." (DiGaetani, 94) "In 1760, however, Goldoni clearly had become the literary lion and pet theatrical revolutionary of Venice, as he pleased a large audience with his realistic and comic innovations in natural style, common diction, and social comedy- theatrical characteristics which branded Goldoni and which Gozzi grew to detest." DiGaetani, 95)
Digaetani goes further to say "In his years of dominance, Goldoni had taken business away from the commedia dell'arte troupes,....Goldoni's comedies did use some of the antics and lazzi of commedia dell'arte, but he advoided most of its excesses, especially its vulgarities. Most importantly, he wrote specific lines for individual characters, which eliminated teh element of improvisation that was central to commedia dell'arte." (Digaetani, 99) A wonderful example of of the style of "antics" that Goldoni wrote in to his play can be found in the monumental production of The Servant of Two Masters produced by the Piccolo Teatro di Milano.
In this clip from Piccolo Teatro's production you see the type of controlled lazzi Digaetani describes.
Digaetani goes further to say "In his years of dominance, Goldoni had taken business away from the commedia dell'arte troupes,....Goldoni's comedies did use some of the antics and lazzi of commedia dell'arte, but he advoided most of its excesses, especially its vulgarities. Most importantly, he wrote specific lines for individual characters, which eliminated teh element of improvisation that was central to commedia dell'arte." (Digaetani, 99) A wonderful example of of the style of "antics" that Goldoni wrote in to his play can be found in the monumental production of The Servant of Two Masters produced by the Piccolo Teatro di Milano.
In this clip from Piccolo Teatro's production you see the type of controlled lazzi Digaetani describes.