Border-Crossing and Comedy at the Théâtre Italien, 1716–1723
Author | : Matthew J. McMahan |
Publisher | : Springer Nature |
Total Pages | : 264 |
Release | : 2021-03-30 |
ISBN-10 | : 9783030700713 |
ISBN-13 | : 3030700712 |
Rating | : 4/5 (13 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: How do nationalized stereotypes inform the reception and content of the migrant comedian’s work? How do performers adapt? What gets lost (and found) in translation? Border-Crossing and Comedy at the Théâtre Italien, 1716-1723 explores these questions in an early modern context. When a troupe of commedia dell’arte actors were invited by the French crown to establish a theatre in Paris, they found their transition was anything but easy. They had to learn a new language and adjust to French expectations and demands. This study presents their story as a dynamic model of coping with the challenges of migration, whereby the actors made their transnational identity a central focus of their comedy. Relating their work to popular twenty-first century comedians, this book also discusses the tools and ideas that contextualize the border-crossing comedian’s work—including diplomacy, translation, improvisation, and parody—across time.