The Servant of Two Masters

Rosa Campagnaro, Carlo Goldini, Rosa Campagnaro

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781760626624
• Topic: Letteratura
• Subtopic: Teatro

'There are so many servants looking for a master and I have found two! Yay. What the hell do I do now? I can't serve both, can I?'%##CHAR13##%%##CHAR13##%Hungry servant Truffaldino bites off more than he can chew when he agrees to serve two masters at the same time! Now he must hold everything together without exposing his scam and woo his love interest, spicy Smeraldina, all at the same time. Meanwhile, Beatrice and Florindo pine for each other, desperately seeking one another in Venice.%##CHAR13##%%##CHAR13##%On the flipside, young lovers Silvio and Clarice seesaw from swearing undying love to pledging eternal hatred.%##CHAR13##%%##CHAR13##%A calamitous comedy unfolds as Truffaldino skids and schemes his way through multiple beatings, mistaken identity and love gone awry on the streets of decadent 18th-century Venice.%##CHAR13##%%##CHAR13##%This new translation and adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's classic by Rosa Campagnaro and Make A Scene maintains the traditional improvised spirit and grotesque masks of Commedia dell'Arte in a contemporary reimagining.%##CHAR13##%

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

A room in the house of Pantalona.

PANTALONA, CLARICE, SILVIO, DOTTORE, SMERALDINA.

SILVIO: Here is my hand and with it I give you all of my heart.

PANTALONA: Come on, don’t act shy. Give him your hand.

CLARICE: Caro [Dear] Silvio, here is my hand, and with it I promise to be your wife.

SILVIO: And I promise to be yours.

PANTALONA: Viva gli sposi! [Long live the bride and groom!]

DOTTORE: Bravissimi! [Very good!] Now there is no turning back. Soon you will be a man.

SILVIO: A man?

DOTTORE: A man.

SILVIO: A man!

DOTTORE: A homo sapien erectus maximus.

SILVIO: A homo erectus man!

PANTALONA: Now, for the celebration, we don’t need to invite friends or relatives … I’m sure Signor Dottore agrees. We do things without bells and whistles here. Let’s keep it simple, okay?

SILVIO: I desire nothing more than to be next to my dear bride.

SMERALDINA: [aside] Of course, where else would he be?

DOTTORE: My son is not a vain boy. He has a good heart and he loves your daughter.

PANTALONA: I must say this wedding was truly made in heaven, because if Signor Federigo Rasponi of Turin, my business associate, hadn’t died, Clarice would be marrying him and not [gesturing towards SILVIO] my dear son-in-law.

DOTTORE: Misfortune comes on horseback and returns on foot.

SILVIO: One man’s misfortune is another’s … fortune.

CLARICE: Oh, Silvio, you have such a way with words.

SMERALDINA: [aside] Yes, he’s a real Goldoni.

SILVIO: Grazie, mia cara. [Thank you, my dear.]

A knock is heard.

PANTALONA: Smeraldina, see who that is.

SMERALDINA: [shouting] Come in!

TRUFFALDINO enters.

TRUFFALDINO: Your humble and reverent servant at your service for all you good signori [sirs and madams]. Ah, what fine-looking people!

PANTALONA: Who are you? What do you want?

TRUFFALDINO: Scusi. [Excuse me.] I don’t want to interrupt, but who is the master of the house?

DOTTORE: I am.

PANTALONA: I am.

TRUFFALDINO: [to DOTTORE] You are the master of the house?

DOTTORE: Sì. I’m the master … but not of this house.

PANTALONA: I am the master of this house! What do you want?

TRUFFALDINO: I don’t want to interrupt, but [to PANTALONA, referring to CLARICE] who is this fancy lady?

PANTALONA: My daughter.

TRUFFALDINO: I don’t want to interrupt, but … wow!

SMERALDINA: She’s engaged.

TRUFFALDINO: Oh. [To SMERALDINA] And who are you?

SMERALDINA: I’m her mistress, Signor.

TRUFFALDINO: Are you engaged?

SMERALDINA: Not yet.

TRUFFALDINO: That’s good. [To SILVIO] And who are you?

SILVIO: I am—

TRUFFALDINO: I don’t care.

PANTALONA: Okay, t...