''I Gelosi'' is a play about the Italian
commedia dell'arte
(; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...
troupe,
I Gelosi
I Gelosi (; "the Zealous Ones") was an Italian acting troupe that performed commedia dell'arte from 1569 to 1604. Their name stems form their motto: , long thought to mean "Virtue, fame and honour made us jealous", or "We are jealous of attaini ...
. It was written by David Bridel, a past Dean of the
USC School of Dramatic Arts. It was first performed in 2006 by the MFA Acting class of
UCLA, of whom Bridel was a teacher. It was then staged professionally by
The Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble in 2008.
"Theater Reviews: Lady, A Chorus Line, I Gelosi"
''LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'' (May 26, 2008). It has since been produced by Helsinki West in Los Angeles, STAGERight in Seattle, and at the University of Alabama and the University of North Texas.
Summary
The play is very loosely based on the history of the troupe. The plot centers around Isabella Andreini
Isabella Andreini (born Isabella Canali, 156210 June 1604), also known as Isabella Da Padova, was an Italian actress and writer. Andreini was a member of the Compagnia dei Comici Gelosi, a touring theatre company that performed in Italy and Fr ...
's joining of the group in its early days, elevating them from poor street performers to massive success with her acting and poetry, and the revolutionary act of allowing a woman to perform onstage. Their attention earns them the patronage of the Duke of Mantua and their official adoption of the I Gelosi title. Throughout this, a romance buds between Isabella and Francesco. The play dramatizes the company's travels to France, where they perform a play satirizing the Pope that thrusts them into a scandal. They become involved in the Huguenot Rebellion on both sides, taken hostage by the Huguenots and labeled spies by the monarchy. They flee to Mantua only to be turned away for the controversy they have created. Isabella begins to go mad, and turmoil and conflict arise within the group. The play ends with Isabella dying, and the troupe being disbanded, their success lost and returning to poverty.
The play is a fictitious account of the troupe, with the plot elaborating and dramatizing facts of the company's travels.
Historical Inaccuracies
* The play has Francesco Andreini forming I Gelosi, in reality it was Flaminio Scala
Flaminio Scala (27 September 1552 – 9 December 1624), commonly known by his stage name, Flavio,Landolfi 1993. was an Italian stage actor of Commedia dell'Arte, scenario writer, playwright, director, producer, manager, agent, and editor. Consid ...
who formed the troupe, with Andreini joining later. Scala is, in fact, omitted entirely from the play.
* The troupe is shown embroiled in the Huguenot Rebellion, in reality they left France before even the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (french: Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy) in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French War ...
, with the true Huguenot Rebellion not occurring until 1620, after the group's disbandment. Though the group was captured by Huguenots at one point, there is no indication of violent resistance.
* The troupe's disbandment is shown leaving the members in poverty and ruin; in reality the group was disbanded while still relatively successful, with the disbandment motivated more by the death of Isabella.
References
{{Reflist
American plays
2006 plays