Scripts and Scenarios : The Performance of Comedy in Renaissance Italy

Rating:
Summary: best in its field
Review: This is the very best book in its field, which is Renaissance comedy between roughly 1500-1600. Andrews discusses both scripted and improvised theatre, including political contexts, performance aspects (who was performing where for whom), analyses of particular plays, and observations of general trends. He offers good insights into how the improvised commedia dell'arte was constructed out of reusable building blocks. You will also find out where some well-known motifs, such as the girl-disguised-as-pageboy, originated. If you want a solid, informative, and interesting introduction to early Italian theatre (which was the model for European theatre of the next several centuries), this is the best book to read.