Early-modern Italian theatre Commedia dell’Arte is a staple of the Venetian Carnival. One of its most iconic characters – Harlequin or Arlecchino – once put on stage an ingenious plot to overcome a little hiccup a touring theatre company faced. See, back in 1716, Paris grew to love comédie italienne, and actor and playwright Luigi Riccoboni wanted to produce his shows there. He hires the best actors Italy had at the time, including Tommaso Visentini to star as Arlecchino. But Tommaso spoke no French! Riccoboni came up with a story where Arlecchino is mute… out of fright. The text is itself an homage to the very Italian art of making do, both in-story and out.
The show will be captioned in English and French.