LAZZO

( (Italian: joke), ) plural Lazzi, improvised comic dialogue or action in the commedia dell'arte. The word may have derived from lacci (Italian: connecting link), comic interludes performed by the character Arlecchino (Harlequin) between scenes, but is more likely a derivation of le azioni (actions). Lazzi were one of the prime resources of the commedia actors, consisting of verbal asides on current political and literary topics, manifestations of terror, pratfalls and other acrobatics, and similar actions. Arlecchino, a character particularly congenial to lazzi, might throw cherry stones in another servant's face or mime the catching and eating of a fly. The ability to improvise ingenious and engaging lazzi contributed to the reputations of many actors; many lazzi were frequently performed with slight variations and became part of the commedia repertoire. Lazzi were implicit in many of the comedies of Molire and those of William Shakespeare, in which they came to be called jigs.