Aliza Karu
2013年02月08日
03:42
The Pierrot mask
originated in Italy at the end of the 16th century thanks to Giovanni
Pellesini, an actor with the Company of Gelosi. His character known as
Pedrolino is one of the many Zanni types, a servant immediately
identifiable by his baggy white costume. Pedrolino is a reliable, astute
servant, with a knack for setting people up but also helping get his
master out of scrapes. He is an important figure, fundamental to the
play’s overall structure. Pellesini followed the Gelosis to France,
where he was immediately successful, becoming a regular part of the
French company’s scenarios, under the name of Pierrot. In his French
guise he grew less intelligent, keeping only his honesty and love of
truth, which is sometimes rather exaggerated. Following a period of
decline, the mask was revived by French mime artist Jean Gaspare
Debureau (1796-1846), who brought great energy to the role that he
played at the Theatre des Funabules in 1826. It was Debureau who
invented the Pierrot costume that was to become famous: a flowing white
suit with jacket and trousers, black buttons and a tiny black cap, in
sharp contrast to a white face. Thanks to Debureau, Pierrot became a
stronger and more vital character that the actor animated thanks to his
excellent mimicry, gestures, acrobatics and extraordinary stage business
which spectators and critics have praised.