History of Western Theatre: 17th Century to Now/Italian Pre-WWII
The dominant figure in Italian pre-World War II drama is Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936), achieving world-wide fame with such comedy-dramas as "Così è, se vi pare" (So it is, if you think it is, 1917), "Sei Personaggi in Cerca d'Autore" (Six characters in search of an author, 1921), and "Enrico IV" (Henry IV, 1922). Honorable mention should be extended to Ugo Betti (1892-1953) for "Corruzione al palazzo di giustizia" (Corruption in the palace of justice, 1944) and Luigi Chiarelli (1880-1947) for "La maschera e il volto" (The mask and the face, 1916).
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"So it is, if you think it is" [edit]
"So it is, if you think it is". Time: 1910s. Place: Italy.
"So it is, if you think it is" text at http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/lp/itisso.htm
Agazzi, a counselor, learns from his wife, Amalia, and his daughter, Dina, that Ponza, secretary at the prefecture, prevents his second wife, Lena, from seeing her own mother, except when conversing from her balcony five floors up. Landisi, friend and neighbor to Ponza's mother-in-law, Signora Frola, remarks that things are not always as they appear, a person sometimes being different to different people. Having heard about the evil rumors against Ponza, Frola explains he is "kind, attentive, solicitous for my comfort," but it is his wish to keep his wife all to himself, which they consider extremely selfish on his part. On her departure, Ponza arrives distraught, explaining, to their astonishment, that Frola is insane, believing in her delusion that his present wife is her daughter when actually it is his dead wife who is her daughter. On his departure, Frola returns, as distraught as he, to reveal it is Ponza who is insane. Her story is that Ponza was so seized with love for her daughter that authorities had to take away temporarily, so that he came to believe her dead. This cannot be verified by official documents because of an earthquake destroying all records in their home town. Nevertheless, Agazzi's family and friends think to get at the truth by confronting Ponza with Frola, but the results are equivocal. Next, they ask Lena to come over, hoping to learn from her whether she is truly Frola's daughter. But before they do, a harassed Ponza, feeling his word is no longer worth anything, tends his resignation to the prefect. Next a weeping Frola tells them all how miserable they have made her life. At last Lena arrives, but once again the results are equivocal, so that Laudisi laughs on being proven right: two opposite conclusions can be equally correct, it is so if you think so.
"Six characters in search of an author" [edit]
"Six characters in search of an author". Time: 1920s. Place: Italy.
"Six characters in search of an author" text at http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/lp/six.htm
An acting company rehearsing a play is interrupted by the arrival of a family of six: father, mother, two sons, one daughter, one stepdaughter. The father mysteriously announces they are characters in search of an author. At first, the director considers them mad and wants them to leave, but then is intrigued by their family history to the extent of wanting to produce it as a stage-play. The father blames his wife for most of their disagreements, forced at last to leave the family abode. Many years later, not recognizing her, he meets his stepdaughter in Madame Pace's whore-house. The father and stepdaughter are touchy about the scene, wishing it to appear exactly as it was. The director commands the actors to observe the scene carefully for the forthcoming play, whereby the characters are stunned to learn they will not be allowed to play in their own play. Madame Pace is needed at this juncture, so that, to the actors' surprise, the father suddenly introduces her to them. Madame Pace tells the stepdaughter she must shape up and do a better job, otherwise she'll show her mother the door. The mother protests about the necessity of this scene, but her opinion is ignored. As the father and stepdaughter act out part of their life, the director interrupts them so that the actors may cut in and imitate them, at which the characters frequently laugh out loud at their poor imitation of reality. The director is thus forced to allow the characters to play before their own rehearsal begins. The crucial moment arrives when father and stepdaughter lasciviously embrace, until the distressed mother rushes in to cry out her true identity, a scene which pleases the director enormously. While waiting for the next scene, the characters exhibit severe conflicts, especially the father against the son, the latter appearing almost as a stranger in his own family, having been sent away at a young age. Amid the fray, the young boy and young girl huddle close together, silently. Amid more squabbles and recriminations, the young girl accidentally falls into a fountain and is drowned. Distressed in the extreme, the young boy shoots himself. While the family grieves on both sudden deaths, the director and actors cannot believe what they have just seen. Is this part of the play?
"Henry IV" [edit]
"Henry IV". Time: 1920s. Place: Italy.
"Henry IV" text at http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/lp/e4.htm
A rich man believes himself to be Henry IV, an 11th century German emperor, humored in that role by a variety of servants profiting by it. Marchioness Matilda, her daughter Frida, and Baron Belcredi explain to Doctor Genoni that this unfortunate event was the result of a fall incurred during a Medieval pageant 15 years ago. Matilda further explains he was in love with her at that time, commenting that one of women's many misfortunes is to be the mark of "eyes glaring at us with a contained intense promise of eternal devotion", adding: "There is nothing quite so funny." To shock him back to reality, Matilda pretends to be Henry IV's mother-in-law, the doctor Hugh of Cluny, and Belcredi a monk. Henry IV enters in penitential sackcloth and is immediately suspicious of the monk, considering him a disguised enemy. He speaks of the nature of our desires, no less ridiculous "when the will is kept within the bounds of the possible". Genoni concludes that Henry, like children when they play, both believes and disbelieves in his and their disguises. Frida becomes the Countess Matilda of Tuscany, in the likeness of her portrait in the throne-room. The ploy seems to work, as Henry sees all the disguised figures step down from their portraits, especially stunned on seeing Frida as Matilda appeared so many years ago. But then Henry reveals he had recovered his senses a ling time ago, with a sensation that "everything had finished" and that he was arriving "at a banquet which had already been cleared away". He further declares he is cured because "he can act the madman to perfection". To prove it, he draws near the frightened Frida as his long-lost love. When Belcredi bars his way, he stabs him to death.
"Corruption in the palace of justice" [edit]
"Corruption in the palace of justice". Time: 1940s. Place: Italy.
"Corruption in the palace of justice" text at ?
Judges learn from Judge Croz the ministry has sent Councillor Erzi to begin an investigation into some of their doings. Though dying, Judge Croz nevertheless would like to die with the president's cap on his head. Ludvi-Pol, a man involved in suspicious activities, has committed suicide in the palace of justice. Judge Cust reveals that man had dealings with President Vanan and that the latter was inside the building on the night he killed himself. Vanan defends himself badly to the charge of illegally receiving funds from him. Though everything seems to point to Vanan's guilt, Erzi points out to Cust that one authoritive voice at least has defended him, Cust himself, so that Cust must be above suspicion, it being unlikely that the guilty turns an inquiry away from a false trail. Cust comments: "The real dangers are inside one's self." What should the guilty worry about most? wonders Erzi. "The documents" answers Cust. A much wasted Vanan is about to be interrogated. His daughter, Elena, comes forth with papers proving in her view his innocence. Without reading them, Cust interrogates her and dismisses her arguments one at a time, opining that her father is unlikely to be innocent. In front of Erzi and Croz, Cust drops the papers in the wastebasket. As they discuss the case, they hear Elena has just suffered a fatal accident by falling down an elevator shaft, at which Cust is devastated. Later, Croz finds Cust suspiciously looking about for documents and thinks to have discovered "the leper" among them. He wishes to reveal this to the others, but suffers a stroke. At his last gasp, he does not reveal his suspicions about Cust, who is named the new president. Wearied, Cust has something to reveal to the ministry.
"The mask and the face" [edit]
"The mask and the face". Time: 1910s. Place: Italy.
"The mask and the face" text at http://archive.org/details/maskfacesatirein00fern
During Count Mario Grazia's house party, Ugo, a judge, points out to Pier that Franco as a lawyer is very adroit with a jury. "And with a woman," points out his banker friend, though the woman in question is Savina, the wife of his best friend, Mario. Before a group of unbelieving or shocked people, Mario opines that if a woman leaves her husband, his duty is to kill her. Alone with Franco, Savina is irritated on finding out he already paid for a dress and belt she asked him to buy for her in Paris. "Not a night but I dream of you," says Franco, to which she ironically replies: "I'll write your epitaph: hers lies Franco Spina, as usual." She wants him to come to her room from the terrace to take the gift away. Meanwhile, Pier overhears his wife, Nina, agree to go to the studio of a sculptor, Georges, for an adulterous relation. He makes known to the two he heard them, then shrugs it off. Mario is disgusted with his lenient attitude. Aware of Franco's love of Savina and in love with him herself, Delia pretends she saw Mario enter her room when she knows it was Franco. Mario rushes off, but is prevented by his friends from shooting Savina. Nevertheless, without caring to know who the man is, he wants her to leave Italy as if she were dead in exchange for money, a subterfuge she is forced to accept. He then confesses to the authorities to his wife's murder and accepts Franco as his defense attorney. The jury finds him innocent because of his wife's presumed scandalous behavior, which becomes a celebrated case. To his surprise and disgust, he receives thousands of approving letters and is banqueted by the city authorities. His story awes wives into submission to their husbands, even Nina towards Pier. Later, a fisherman discovers by chance Savina's dress and belt in the lake next to the count's villa, where Franco threw them away. To prevent them searching for more evidence, Mario says he has discovered the body and pays the mayor so that he need not show it. Instead, he places in her coffin one of George's statues. To his surprise and disgust, Savina shows up the night before her own funeral. After spending several months in prison, he is unable to resist her charms in bed, yet unwilling the next day to reveal the truth. At last, he feels he ought to. At first his friends do not believe him, then they advise him to bury the truth in secrecy. "If the public knew of the hoax, you would be nearly ruined," says Ugo. Pier points out that his supposed deed has had a positive impact on moral principles. Indeed, when Nina discovers it, she becomes her old insolent self towards her husband.
