Lazzo

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 518 words | Copyright

Lazzo (pl. lazzi), slight piece of byplay indulged in by the comic servants of the commedia dell'arte, consisting of a small, unexpected ornamentation by word or gesture superimposed on the main plot. There is no satisfactory English translation of the word, which can be rendered as ‘antic’, ‘trick’, ‘gambol’, ‘pun’, ‘patter’, according to the context. The longer comic episode involving a practical joke or some horseplay was known as the burla.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Lazzo." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Lazzo." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Lazzo.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Lazzo." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Lazzo.html

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