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 also pass them on to future generations within the troupe.

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Works cited

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.