Lazzi

Lazzi (from the Italian "lazzo", a joke or witticism) is a piece of well-rehearsed comic action commonly used in the "Commedia dell'arte". Most English-speaking troupes use the Italian plural "lazzi" as the singular and "lazzis" for the plural.

During improvised performances a lazzi may be used to fill time or to ensure a certain frequency of laughs in a show. For practical purposes a lazzi may be any bit of business that may be easily recalled and performed in another situation, somewhat like a catch phrase. In any given troupe, the senior player could have well over one hundred lazzi at his/her disposal. The performer would not only have these well rehearsed but would also pass them on to future generations within the troupe. As soon as a lazzi is initiated by one player, all of the other players must fall in, thus performing a lazzi requires every member of the troupe to know the routine as well as great teamwork.

Works cited

* Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. "The Cambridge Guide to Theatre." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521434378.
* Duchartre, Pierre Louis. 1929. "The Italian Comedy". Unabridged republication. New York: Dover, 1966. ISBN 0486216799.
* Gordon, Mel. 1983. "Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte". New York: Performing Arts Journal Publications. ISBN 0933826699.

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