Lazzi

Taken in the etymological sense the lazzi are "links" that in the Commedia dell'Arte unite the dialogues or the actions during the theatrical performance.
As a rule these links are almost always irrelevant to the story itself.
They are specifically destined to punctuate and pace the plot at different moments in order to amuse the audience, to recapture the attention if the public seems bored, or even rescue an actor from embarrassment if his improvisation dries up.
Lazzi
   
 
It is necessary to remember that the Commedia dell' Arte is not a written comedy. The actors only work from a general sketch which indicates the main topic.
The dialogues are subsequently the fruit of their imagination and oratory, even though their stage business is carefully studied and directed.
They are often tailored to the audience and to the place in which the performance is given and are adapted accordingly. As a result the comedians are extremely interdependent because the spontaneity and the brio of one must not be to the detriment of the other. The lazzi thus intervene to facilitate the link between scenes or interventions so that the public experiences a perfect fluidity in the action.
   
Considered comic and acrobatic interludes, they are the most important part of the show because they embody the whole burlesque of the Commedia dell' Arte.
These elements of “ stage business and word games ” are small cameos of bravura, often played by the zanni ; they include acrobatics, pantomime, stances, and grimaces and even cross-dressing. They lend the play fantasy and vividness, and the public is familiar with most of them because they are well-established traditions.
In general, when the sketch is written, some lazzi are already mentioned by name, or are suggested in a generic manner, in relation to the events included in the play. Thus in the sketch of the Convitato di pietra of Naples, one repeatedly finds the direction Fanno lazzi (make stage business) giving the actors the freedom to choose the most suitable diversion according to the moment and the audience.
 
   
Captain Babbeo e Cucuba
Teatro alla Scala - Milan
On the other hand, other lazzi are clearly stipulated and in Act I - Scene 6, the sketch mentions : “ They play the lazzo of the day and night and the lunatic ”.
In the lazzo of the day and night, Punch must demonstrate his master's dual personality by speaking of his behaviour during the day and that of the night and he must quickly alternate between them. In the lazzo of the lunatic, he must pretend to be mad and act accordingly.
Sketches thus only include brief indications of the lazzi, which are summarised by names :
lazzi of the ladder, the tooth puller, of nightfall, of the broccoli, of silence, etc.
If their role is essentially comic, they also dare social critiques even though they are voluntarily exaggerated and funny.
The inversion of role between master and valet, the valet who absurdly repeats his master's words, or the valet who does not follow orders and does the opposite, are evidently aimed at recalling the often-unjust conditions of domestic service of the time by adding an insubordinate deference.
Thus, in the Convitato di pietra by Biancolelli, at the beginning of Act II, Harlequin says : I stand next to Pantalone, and every time he looks at me, I make him a deep reverence.
This lazzo repeated several times makes him quite furious; he goes to the other side, I follow him and start all over again.
   
Also, those lazzi which relate to food are the echo of the deep economic crisis in Italy.
They illustrate, with humour, a dramatic situation experienced by part of the population. In Act II of the same play, Harlequin says : At the beginning of the meal, I arrive saying that the kitchen is on fire. Don Juan and all the valets run there. In the meantime, I sit down and eat all I can.
The number of lazzi is considerable and today only includes those that have survived thanks to drawings and illustrations or by the stage directions of the sketches.
It is certain that these lazzi, presented by the Italian comedians in Paris, strongly inspired the French classic theatre of the 17th century.
The valets of the comedies of that time have all equally borrowed their personality from the “ zanni ” of the Commedia dell' Arte, and their behaviour on stage is derived from this
“ stage business ”. Gradually they were incorporated in the scripts, becoming more precise and less extravagant, but nonetheless originate in these impertinent Italian buffooneries.
Lazzo of the Shampoo
 
In the French versions of Don Juan, be they by Dorimon, Villiers or Molière, many attitudes of the valets Philipin, Briguelle or Sganarelle find their origin in these lazzi. Thus, the exchanges of costume between valet and master, the valet who disguises himself as a physician, the repetitions of cries of fright or warning, the valet and master who fail to recognise each other in the dark, are just many inventions of the Commedia dell'Arte.
A comedian who played the role of Scaramouch trained Molière who was then able to study the comic and social range of the lazzi. Adapted to the French culture, they allowed him to handle his comedies of manners with a mixture of lightness and audacity that could first amuse and then lead to reflection.