In Italian theatrical culture, the term sciantosa (; ) refers to a

stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...

that developed from the late 19th century through the early 20th century in such popular genres such as café-concert,

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

, ''

avanspettacolo Avanspettacolo (literally: "before the show") is an Italian theatrical genre that developed between the 1930s and 1950s. Closely related to revue and variety show, avanspettacolo features a diverse mixture of music, ballet, sketch comedy, and oth ...

'', and

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

. The term is a distortion of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

word {{lang, fr,

chanteuse Many words in the English vocabulary are of French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman conquest of England, Norman Conquest, before ...

(feminine form of "singer"), and was originally used for female singers that performed

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

s in ''

café-chantant (French: lit. 'singing café'), , or , is a type of musical establishment associated with the Belle Époque in France. The music was generally lighthearted and sometimes risqué or even bawdy but, as opposed to the cabaret tradition, not parti ...

'' venues. As such, the "sciantosa" was a sort of scaled-down version of the opera "

diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is clo ...

". Later on, the term acquired further implications, most notably that of ''

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

''.Livio Jannattoni, ''Roma Belle Epoque'', Multigrafica Editrice, Rome 1986, p. 88. Popular sciantose often had (or pretended to have) mysterious and exotic traits, such as a foreign accent, a turbulent past, or romantic affairs with lovers from the

jet set In journalism, jet set is a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of tra ...

. To emphasize their reputation of divas, prominent sciantose hired a

claque A claque is an organized body of professional applauders in French theatres and opera houses. Members of a claque are called claqueurs. History Hiring people to applaud dramatic performances was common in classical times. For example, when th ...

to follow their shows. Some of the most well known sciantose were Anna Fougez, Gilda Mignonette, Olimpia d'Avigny, and Yvonne de Fleuriel. With the advent of cinema and television, many forms of popular theatrical shows faded, and so did the "sciantosa" archetype, whose traits were partially transferred to new roles such as the

soubrette A soubrette is a type of operatic soprano voice ''fach'', often cast as a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". Theatre In theatre, a soubrette is a c ...

or the

showgirl A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity. History Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...

. The 1971 film ''

La Sciantosa ''La Sciantosa'' is an Italian TV movie produced by RAI television in 1970. Even though it was filmed in color, back then RAI's shows were still being shown in black and white, since they didn't convert to color TV until 1977. Plot Flora is a fad ...

'', by director

Alfredo Giannetti Alfredo Giannetti (1924–1995) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1962 for his work in ''Divorce Italian Style''. Selected filmography * ''The Railroad Man'' (1956) * ''A Man ...

, portrays a typical sciantosa (played by

Anna Magnani Anna Maria Magnani (; 7 March 1908 – 26 September 1973) was an Italian actress.Obituary ''Variety'', 3 October 1973, pg. 47 She was known for her explosive acting and earthy, realistic portrayals of characters. Born in Rome, she worked her ...

Footnotes

Stock characters Theatre in Italy Variety shows