Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia Dell'Arte

Rating:
Summary: Dissapointed!
Review: Expecting a book on technique, I was hugely dissapointed! Turns out the book is merely a collection of brief, general descriptions of lazzi. The Commedia character overviews also included in the book were, for my purposes, useless. The book contributes nothing new to the world of Commedia Dell'Arte. What I do find of value are the two Commedia scripts included in the book. Save your money, there are other books worth their weight in gold on the subject of Commedia Dell'Arte

Rating:
Summary: I laughed out loud!
Review: Of all the books out there concerning commedia dell'arte, I found this one to be one of the most informative and useful (and definitely the FUNNIEST!--and isn't that the point?). Mel Gordon clearly and concisely defines what lazzi are, and presents a series of them according to type; quite appropriate, considering commedia performers often kept notebooks full of such routines. One discovers that comedy has not really changed over the centuries. Perusal of these routines brings the tradition of commedia dell'arte to life in a way that hours of poring over Flaminio Scala's work can not. A must for any student of the Italian comedy!