Can an 18th century Italian comedic play withstand the tests of time and culture? We who live in the San Francisco Bay Area have the opportunity to make that determination when Mirandolina, Mistress of a Tuscan Inn comes to the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.
Mirandolina is probably not the typical type of theater production that one finds in a suburban setting, even if that suburb is only 30 miles and 45 minutes from San Francisco.
Geographically, this is not a great distance but certainly a great difference in terms of cultural experiences. So, imagine one’s surprise to find that a saucy comedic adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s 260 year-old play will be coming to this quiet, sedate setting.
Carlo Goldoni’s play, “La Locandiera”, as it was originally titled, is a three act comedy written in 1753, and which some scholars regard as Goldoni’s masterpiece. It was first staged in Venice in 1753 and in English in 1912. Although this 18th century comedy is over 260 years old, recent productions have been described as addressing issues around women’s rights, women’s liberation, battle of the sexes, and women’s role in a man’s workplace. Actually, this all sounds quite contemporary indeed!
The play is set at an inn in Florence in the middle of the 18th century. The innkeeper, Mirandonlina, is spunky, outspoken and attractive, thus charming her three guests. The five main characters are Mirandolina, the mistress of the inn, the Cavalier of Ripafratta, the Marquis of Forlipopoli, the Count D’ Albafiorita, and Mirandolina’s employee, Fabricius, the servant for the inn.
Mirandolina runs her inn alone with only the help of her one loyal employee. She is a tough cookie who is determined to love the right man and teach the wrong men a lesson in love and in business. Although our heroine is a strong and fun-loving young woman, her generous and loving self is tested by these three young men all seeking her hand in marriage. Although the Marquis can offer a lordly title and nobility, he is not a wealthy man. The Count is wealthy and generous, showering her with expensive gifts. The Cavalier, who scoffs at all these impassioned attempts at love, might himself succumb to Mirandolina’s charms. Mirandolina finds his dislike of women a challenge and attempts to woo him. And then there is Favricius who was suggested by her deceased father as being the love of her life. It’s all a complicated interaction laced with wit and wiles.
The following two quotes from the play highlight the plight of womenhood in a man’s world of business and passion.
“My task is done. His heart is on fire, in flames, in ashes. All I have to do is to complete my victory, to make my triumph public to the discomforture of presumptuous men, and to the honor of our sex.”
“Now then he has given in at last. The weapons we use to conquer men are many. But when they are obstinate, the final blow, that’s sure to win them, is fainting.”
As you can see, Mirandolina’s pedigree is certainly impressive and the reason why a local production might be of interest. It is certainly an opportunity to see for oneself if an 18th century comedic play transcends both time, two continents, and two very different cultures.
The Italian playwright of “La Locandiera” Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (February 25, 1707-February 6, 1793) was born in what was at that time the Republic of Venice. His works included some of Italy’s most famous and best-loved plays “for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty dramatizing the lives, values and conflicts of the middle classes.”
Goldoni was introduced to the theater at an early age by his grandfather. Those scholars who have made a study of Goldoni’s work say that he took on the task of representing actual life and manners in a way that had not been attempted or achieved before. His works are said to be a lasting monument to the changes that he initiated; a dramatic revolution by poking fun at the arrogant nobility and the pauper who lacks dignity. In Mirandolina, Goldoni uses a female innkeeper as a main character who is providing a life for herself without her father or a husband; something that was somewhat unheard of during his time.
Goldoni is considered the great reformer of Italian comedy and one of the most significant Italian dramatist of the 18th century and the playwright who is credited with changing the face of theater in Italy. In his career, Goldoni wrote over 200 titled pieces including tragedies, tragicomedies, comedies, operas, oratorios, religious plays, poetry, intermezzos, and books.
Mirandolina, Mistress of a Tuscan Inn will be at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek from April 3 to May 2, 2015. For more information go to http://www.lesherartscenter. org, email info@ lesherartscenter.org, or call the Center at 925-943-7469.
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