Arlechinno was presented at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre and supported by Friends of Latin American Expression, Brazilian Cultural Arts and Babur Brasserie. Goldoni originally wrote the play at the request of actor Antonio Sacco, one of the great Harlequins in history. However, her servant, Truffaldino, enters into the pay of Florindo, and struggles to keep his two lives and masters separate.

Morgana is still unimpressed and warns him to do better before going out herself to collect firewood. The second is from Rachel Saunders whose cross-dressing Beatrice has all the sexy appeal of a panto principal boy and all the tragic desperation of a Juliet. But something curious has happened to Tim Supple's Royal Shakespeare Company production since it first played London at the Young Vic almost a year ago. Brighella, the innkeeper, recognizes Beatrice, despite her disguise, but promises to keep her identity a secret and becomes her accomplice in her mission. With that kind of ebullience, and skill in remembering to open and kick shut imaginary doors, as he attempts to serve up two feasts to the two masters, simultaneously, he takes an enthusiastic cast with him, all of them intent on setting an equally high bar with their own characterisations.Not a bad episode, though it is quite slow-moving for much of the time, particularly following the cars though the countryside. Pantalone sees the two shake hands and takes it to mean that they have agreed to wed and sets out to tell Doctor Lombardi. The characters are richly drawn when they need to be, but needless back stories are avoided - so the play just continues to roll foreward apace. Arthur rebukes Merlin for his two-day absence and sentences him to learn how to be a proper manservant from George. The audience was primed to expect something out of the ordinary from the outset, as we filed together en masse up the dark back stairs which are normally out of bounds, to take our seats not in the auditorium but on the Playhouse stage.

They were enacted with total commitment by the young cast, as larger-than-life portrayals, with exaggerated movement, gesture and expression.

Doyle, peering into the back of the van, expecting to see Bodie with his latest conquest, wags a finger: "Naughty, naughty! Unlike Truffaldino, he is sometimes depicted as having risen through the ranks of servitude to become an innkeeper or tavern owner, as in The Servant of Two Masters. Servant of Two Masters (2012) [11] – adapted by Constance Congdon and first performed at The Lansburgh Theatre, Washington, D. Goldoni skilfully adapted the comedia dell'arte pattern to his own very funny plots, and the most famous of the resulting plays is The Servant of Two Masters.

In Arthur's chambers, Merlin prepares a bath for the king and pours in a jar of corrosive salts, which turns the bath into acid strong enough to corrode steel. However, he is happened upon by the Knights of the Round Table, who recognise Dragoon as the sorcerer who killed Uther. Fine banter, good slice-of-life moments and the plot moves along weaving through their daily routine. Having discovered Beatrice’s true identity, Pantalone tells Lombardi that the marriage between Silvio and Clarice is still possible since Federigo is actually a woman!True commedia dell'arte is more or less improvised without a script, so The Servant of Two Masters is not true commedia. This was used for exteriors and interiors, although it seems that some of the outside scenes subsequently required re-shoots, which were done at Warfield Hall, Warfield.

Still troubled over the ambush, Sir Leon also concludes that, since their route had been a secret, there must be a traitor in their midst. Their actions are laughably melodramatic, and they are often driven to the point of hysteria if they are kept apart from each other. Truffaldino, the titular ‘Servant of Two Masters’ in Goldoni’s farce, is an offshoot of Arlecchino (or in English, Harlequin).But thinking that Beatrice's brother was dead, Clarice has fallen in love with another man, Silvio, and the two have become engaged. A very entertaining episode that does something a bit different, and keeps the viewer guessing until the end. Additional shots - using "doubles" for Shaw and Collins - of tailing Cowley as he drives to Hahn's place. Florindo asks Pantalone for permission for his servant, Truffaldino, to marry Clarice’s maid, Smeraldino. You could dismiss this as being the curse of the West End, but a more reasoned explanation is that it is about the complex alchemy of productions and spaces.