Post by @federicabalbi
Seen at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 15th of August 2024
5 – irresistible, masterfully crafted Commedia
The mission is as simple as impossible: to trace the history of Commedia dell’Arte in 50 minutes. One of the actors is desperate to start, but the other two don’t seem willing to collaborate… The down-to-Earth humour typical of the Commedia is extended beyond its boundaries, in a playfulness that barely lets the audience catch breath between one laughter and the next.
In this joyful linguistic pastiche, the actors metamorphose into the traditional figures of Zarni, Pantalone, il Capitano, and Arlecchino, among others, dragging the audience into different times and places. The perfectly clocked gags are irresistible, while they mock the characters, the audience, the Venitians, and… Brexit.
Compagnia Fraternal’s original show, created and directed by Massimo Macchiavelli and Luca Comastri, is a model of the highest levels of theatre craft in a more ‘traditional’ sense: masks are handmade, music is played live, comedic effects are created on stage with simple, effective tricks. The exceptional ability of the performers, Tania Passarini, Gabriel Bird, and Luca Comastri, makes any technological support merely superfluous.
2nd-25th August; 11.30 am
Running time: 50 minutes
Venue: C Aquila
Tickets and Info: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/masquerade-mask
Company Website: https://www.fraternalcompagnia.it/
Butterwort 
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