The Characters Of ‘Masks’

*Isabella, who plays Colombina: Isabella is one of the most skilled comic actresses in the troupe. She is a true friend, just like Colombina, herself, to those she cares for. She is also a bit quick tempered, but easily calmed down. She is married to Giulio. Her character, Colombina, is the classic soubrette (the smart, sly servant girls, like Dorine in Molière’s Tartuffe): She is high spirited and knows how to control men, whom she loves to tease.

*Carlo, who plays Arlecchino: Carlo can be hot tempered. He has a clearly southern Italian energy and sense of right and wrong. As a performer, he is the consummate professional, usually; but when it comes to protecting his family, distractions can affect his performances. He is very protective of his kid sister, Sylvia.

*Pierette, who plays Pierrot: She’s in a difficult spot. She’s a young woman playing the part of a male Zanni (Pierrot). The mask and her own exceptional skill and talent are all she has to rely on. She has taken over the role from her father, the beloved leader of the Commedia troupe, who died six months ago. To add to her challenges, she has fallen in love with the company Casanova, Flavio, who hardly even notices her. She has grown up in this theatre troupe and is something of a beloved mascot whom the others want to protect and nurture.

*Giulio, who plays Pantalone: Giulio has been a regular with the company as long as his wife, Isabella. They have enjoyed working together for a lot of years. Giulio is a respected, talented, and reliable member of the troupe. His offstage personality is so unlike the character he plays onstage that nobody would ever recognize him outside of his mask and costume. He is a gentle, generous professional who likes to lead a simple life.

*Ruffina, who plays La Vecchia (the old woman): Ruffi (as those who love her call her) is the matriarch of the troupe. She keeps the books in order (and the bookings), she runs rehearsals, and she solves everyone’s troubles when she can. Often, however, she turns to her beloved husband, Scaramouche, to be the human resources expert (and the artistic director). Her first goal is always the health of the company as a whole, the nurturer.

*Roderigo, who plays Doctor Bungalo: Roderigo is much brighter than character he plays (Il Dottore). He loves his work and is always willing to rehearse some new lazzi. He treats his fellow actors with complete respect, even the less experienced or less skilled. His sense of fairness and justice is strong, giving him a fatherly manner.

*l Dottore is a pompous man (originally from Bologna, Italy, who is always “full of baloney”) who can pontificate on subjects he has no knowledge of. The other men are even less educated than he is, however, so he often manages to sound brilliant to them, even when he is spouting malapropisms or confused Latin.

*Lavinia, an inamorata, is a relatively new member of the company, but has found a niche for herself. Like many of the historical ingénues of the Italian Comedy, she will probably remain in the same role even into her older years. She is a thoughtful, likeable young woman.

The inamorata, or ingénue, is integral to the story line in any comedy. Without a love interest for the handsome inamorato, there is no plot on which to hang all the comedy. The inamorata, though often no brighter than the servants (in fact, without her faithful Colombina to help her out of her dilemmas, she would probably fall apart completely), is charming, beautiful cultivated, and above all, chaste.

*Sylvia, another inamorata, is the sister of Carlo. A solid professional with lots of experience, she is the mentor to Lavinia and often plays her sister. She has recently used some bad judgment in her relationships, however, falling for the smooth talk of Flavio. She is reluctant at first to believe anything bad about him, but she is also not a stupid person. And when she is crossed, she can be a sharp as a dagger. Although she may fight with her brother, she also knows that she can trust him.

*Scaramouche, who plays Capitano Spavento, is the artistic heart of the company, a position he shared until six months ago with his dear friend and colleague, Pierrot. Together, they and Ruffina (Scaramouche’s wife) created this troupe of players. He and Pierrot created all the scenarios and many of the gags. They also trained the other actors (Pierrot was the leader in that, training Scaramouche himself). He is the de facto father figure of the company.

He is, however, unaware that though he was once the main attraction for audience, his star is waning to younger, more energetic performers. He has a gregarious nature that makes him popular with the locals, but which gets him in some domestic scrapes, too.

*Flavio, an inamorato, is very new to the troupe. He’s also an incurable flirt, a young Don Juan, a “player.” He chases after almost every woman he meets. Unfortunately, his charm often brings him success, and his successes often end badly. His relationships are all short lived. He is constantly getting into scrapes because he is dangling two or three girlfriends at once, often not far from each other (in the company, he’s flirted with Isabella and Lavinia unsuccessfully, and is dating both Lola and Sylvia).

The inamorato is the male equivalent of the inamorata. He is the Romeo to her Juliet (and they are usually star-crossed until the final scene), but he is perhaps more in love with the idea of being in love than with the object of his affections. He is usually the son of the doctor, sometimes of the captain, rarely of Pantalone.

*Lola, the costume mistress, is practical, usually, and a reliable worker. She briefly fell for Flavio’s line, but she has seen him for what he is and broken it off (especially after he started in with Sylvia). She is often lost in her own world of cloth and thread, but she can also be a supportive and caring friend. She also has a somewhat nosy nature and is a bit slow to pick up social clues. She has no interest in performing herself.

*Stagehands 1 & 2: They are always together, working as a team, but with a slight hint of Laurel and Hardy clumsiness. They are usually reliable about solving stage construction problems.

*Audience (onstage): The audience consists of a wide range of peasants, merchants, and craftspeople mostly. One or two may even be aristocrats (everybody loves comedy). One of them is a young lady who is on Flavio’s list of conquests. One or more may be surly complainers who are very hard to please. However, all of them know how to enjoy the comedies they attend.