Commedia Dell'Arte

Song and dance are very important in Pantomime and the influences of the Italian ‘Commedia dell’Arte’ can be seen here.  This form of theatre was very popular in France and Italy. It consisted of a number of standard characters performing highly visual comic situations.  The actors generally improvised their way through a plot involving characters such as Arlecchino, or Harlequin and his true love, Columbina or Columbine.

Other standard characters were the over protective father, Pantaloon, who refused to allow the heroic Harlequin to marry his daughter. In various versions Pantaloon has a servant, Pulchinello, later to be known as Clown, and a soldier, an unsuitable suitor who wants to marry Columbine. Comic chases and tricks were employed to full effect.  Although the character of ‘Pulchinello’ has vanished from the Pantomime today, he remains in Britain as ‘Mr. Punch’.

Italian Night Scenes

Transferring Commedia dell’Arte from France to Britain was difficult as the actors did not speak English.  The scenes from their continental shows had now to be mimed, and more emphasis was put on singing and dancing.  These shows evolved into what were known as ‘Italian Night Scenes’, and became highly popular in this country, particularly in London’s Drury Lane.  The comic chases that emerged from these productions eventually became known as ‘Slapstick’, still a very important element in modern Pantomimes.

Harlequinade

In 1717, John Rich produced a ‘ballet-pantomime’ called ‘The Loves of Mars and Venus’ followed by ‘Harlequin Sorcerer’.  Rich played the Harlequin under his stage name of ‘Lun’.

Harlequinades were produced all year round at his Lincoln Inn Fields Theatre, London.  These became so popular that David Garrick at Drury Lane staged his own pantomime, the difference being that his Harlequin spoke the lines, with less emphasis on mime. In 1773, the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane presented the first pantomime story that has a direct descendant today - ‘Jack the Giant Killer’.  The Harlequinades were played as short pieces put on after the main drama of the evening.