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Moliere, Commedia dell'arte, Restoration, & Musicals

Lexey Payne

THTR 358 - History of Theatre

Prof. Stroud

November 29, 2021

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1) Commedia Dell’Arte is perhaps one of the most influential types of historic theatre,

with character tropes and relationships that have carried into the stories of contemporary stage,

film, and T.V. productions. Originating in 16th century Italy the style and stock characters of

Commedia Dell’Arte have truly stood the test of time, there are many example fo classic

Commedia Dell’Arte characters in modern theatre. An easily made comparison is that of

Harlequin, the classic Commedia Dell’Arte comedic servant character to the character, Andy

Dwyer from Parks and Recreation. Andy is a zany and physically expressive employee of the

Pawnee Indiana Parks and Recreation department. His character is displayed as stupid and

immature. Much of Andy’s comedy comes from the actor, Chris Pratt’s highly physical

expressions. Andy is also the bottom of the food chain or last in command of the characters he

works with, almost as a modern day representation of a servant.

Another good example of Commedia Dell’Arte characters in modern day theatre is Frank

Gallagher from the show Shameless. Frank is a drug addicted alcoholic who frequently pops his

way back into his children’s lives when it become opportunistic for him. He is extremely

intelligent and has substantial capability to make a good life for himself yet he chooses to be a

homeless con artist so that he holds no responsibility to others. His entire life is based around his

next con opportunity to gain either money, alcohol, or drugs from anyone, anywhere. He steals

from his children, his community, and his closest friends. He holds no alliance to anyone. There

are times within the show that we believe that Frank has begun to make real connection to others

until he changes his behavior at the drop of a dime. Even when he does things that are beneficial

to other characters it all comes back to benefit him or make him look as though he can be trusted.

Examples:
Best of Andy Dwyer | Parks and Recreation | Comedy BitesThe Most Cringeworthy Things
Frank From Shameless Has Done
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2) Les Misérables was a novel written by Victor Hugo in 1862 and the first production of

the story as a musical was in London in 1985. Les Mis is all original music written for the story,

while the musical does not necessarily depict real people it is based around the story of the

citizens of France during the French Revolution in the early 19th century. The soundtrack and

score for Les Mis has a mix of different songs that are both atmospheric and ones that push

forward the development of the story. Some examples of atmospheric songs could be the

beginning of the musical when the laborers of a French prison are singing the song, Look Down.

The song sets the tone and atmosphere of the locale and the moment before while not necessarily

moving the story to the next event. Castle On A Cloud is also a stand alone song of the Les Mis

soundtrack, young Cosette sings the song by herself as she sweeps and performs other chores at

the inn where she stays.

In addition to stand alone songs, Les Mis also has a soundtrack full of intrinsic songs that

are essential to telling the story. One example of an intrinsic song in Les Mis could be, ABC

Cafe / Red & Black. This song is sung when Marius returns to the rest of the rebellion after

seeing Cosette for the first time. He tells his fellow patriots that he has fallen in love at first sight

and his comrades continue to tell him that his love life has no relevance as they are all pieces

fitting together to create the bigger picture of the revolution. Les Mis has a large ensemble cast

and the story focuses not simply on one person but more so on how the lives of many intersect.

This means that the songs are not necessarily telling the story of one person.

There are many I AM songs in Les Mis, where characters sing to express how they feel.

The I AM songs for Les Mis would be Who Am I (which is sung by Valjean as he questions his
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morality in leaving prison and returning to a normal life), On My Own (sung by Eponine as she

expresses her love for Marius after having watched him fall in love with Cosette), and Stars

(sung by Inspector Javert as he begins his journey in searching for Valjean).

There are also a few I WANT songs in Les Mis where different characters sing to the

audience and fellow characters what they want. These could include, I Dreamed a Dream (where

Fontine sings about her lost childhood and heartbreak wishing that she could go back, In My life

(an ensemble piece where Cosette and Marius express their longing for each other, Eponine

expresses her want for Marius, and Cosette also expresses her want for the truth about her father

and the life they live), as well as Empty Chairs at Empty Tables (where Marius sings about his

fallen comrades and his longing for his life to have been taken rather than theirs).

Les Mis has a very dark and serious overtone throughout the show and that makes it

especially important to have an 11 O’CLOCK NUMBER where the audience gets recharged and

energized for the last of the show. For Les Mis the 11 O’CLOCK NUMBER would be

considered One Day More (where the ensemble cast all sings of their resilience to make it to

another day), and Do You Hear the People Sing (where the rebels bombard a political funeral to

begin their riots). These songs specifically touch into the political statement of Les Mis, which is,

the lives of the poor during the French Revolution meant nothing. Those who were not of high

status were starving and freezing to death simply because they were poor. The citizens of France

felt even more left behind after their first revolution to overthrow the crown and this left them

feeling helpless and small. Les Mis is a story of the resilience of the human spirit and the

persistence of the fight for freedom.

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Works Cited

Comedy Bites. “Best of Andy Dwyer | Parks and Recreation - Youtube.” YouTube, 2019,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WcWA_Th_k8.

Looper. “The Most Cringeworthy Things Frank from ... - Youtube.” YouTube, 2019,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGAQOFgLx4Q.