An Example Of Trickster In Theatre

Those who have been in classes with me should know that I have a propensity for relating any topic whatsoever to the theatre. Well, I'm going to do it again.

On November 1st I had the pleasure of attending the Talking Book Salon that is sponsored by the MSU English department and is held on the first tuesday of the month. The topic was trickster figures and it was facilitated by Dr. Sexson with the help of his grad students. We were asked to identify trickster figures in film, music, and literature. I submited the Marx Brothers, a group of vaudville actors who made several popular films in the 20's, 30's and 40's. In their films they were constantly deceiving the affluent authority figures, encroaching on the personal space of women, stealing the girl(or at least trying), and somehow getting far more from those around them than they should have gotten. They were highly influential to the art of comedy as we know it. Shades of the Marx Brothers and references to them can be found everywhere, from Woody Allen to The Simpsons to the character of Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H. However, the comedy of the Marx Brothers was nothing new. Long before they appeared on the New York Vaudville scene actors were hamming it up in a form of theatre called Commedia dell' Arte.

Commedia dell' Arte originated in Italy in the mid-1500's and involves a set of stock characters and a combination of formulaic skits called lazzi. The actors were all well-versed in the characters they played and the lazzi were rehearsed extensively. During the course of a show this preparation allowed the actors to abruptly switch to a new lazzi as needed. One example of this is a lazzi that could be turned to if things were not going well and the audience was not enjoying the performance. The lazzi of nightfall was very popular and I'm guessing was pretty much infallible. One actor would indicate that night had suddenly fallen and everyone would procede to lurch their way around bumping into things, mistaking identities and often groping one another. The audience would, of course, be entertained by their antics.

Now, how do I argue that this all ties into the idea of the trickster?

Firstly, trickery abounds in Commedia dell' Arte. A character will pretend to be crazy so that he can freely beat the people around him or a dead character pops up to inform the audience that it is rude to disturb the dead. A character puts on an accent and pretends not to speak English in order to dupe someone out of his money. Over and over the characters are tricked by one another and the audience is tricked by the actors.

Secondly, identities and situations are never solid, certain and expected. In one lazzi two affluent characters hire servants to fight their duel for them. When they all meet to carry out the planned duel it is discovered that the two servants are old friends and have no intention of fighting. Characters change form through magic and also physically twist their bodies into alternate forms. Identical twins are mistaken for one another, usually with one getting the other in trouble.

Thirdly, most lazzi, in some way or another, deal with profane or disgusting acts. The male characters are always trying to get the female characters into bed or at least grope them. Simulated sex acts are common and erections are fair game as well. Enemas, usually unnecesary, are a very popular topic too. In one lazzi a female character is tied to a tree and two drunk male characters, upon discovering her, decide to urinate on the nearest tree... which, of course, is the one she is tied to.

Trickster is a central figure in this form of theatre. The lazzi of Commedia dell' Arte is full of examples of trickery and deception and this form of comedic theatre is a part of the origins of our present day sense of comedy and has informed and helped create many of our present day trickster figures.

Now, give me a topic, any topic, and I'll relate it to the art of theatre!