Amo Gulinello-Examplar

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This video is a perfect example for our Commdeia dell'Arte summative performances. In the video, Amo Gulinello is extremely expressive and all of his actions are extremely exaggerated. There are multiple bits of lazzi, and a wide variety of interactions with the environment and the other character. There was a very bold interaction with an audience member, even bringing her on stage, and she seemed comfortable throughout the entire thing.

Although the entire thing was mimed, and he didn't speak a word, from the minute he set up and started his performance, you could tell what was happening. His use of limited props was amazing, throughout the entire scene, he only had to chairs, a rose, himself and the audience member. Although the sound effects helped and made some parts funnier (like when they forgot to add them or the sounds were late) I think it would have been clear either way, with or without the sounds.

When he asked up the audience member, at first she seemed a little unsure of herself, and didn't really know what to do. However, Gulinello showed her exactly what to do when she was unsure. Also, he would express what he needed her to do. For example, when there was jumpy background music, and she was mostly sitting still, he stopped the music and asked her (through mime) what she was doing. He then went to show her what she should do, and finally, when she did it, he continued with the scene. After that, when they were stuck in a traffic jam, even when she was unsure what to do, he taped her shoulder to get her attention, showed her, and then pointed away, as if to tell her "Go do that". Then once she turned back around he would give a nod of approval.

There was a lot of lazzi throughout the entire thing, and I loved it. Without lazzi, the performance would have been quite boring. I think the sound people contributed a big par,t by sometimes missing and/or messing up the cues. This couldn't have been entirely their fault, as a lot was probably improvised because with an audience member, it is not pre-planned, however I think that made it all the more hilarious. One of the more memorable bits for me was when the car horn continued, so Gulinello broke it off. The girl then decided to throw it out of the window, however, she didn't roll it down first, and so she broke the glass. He then asked her what she was doing, and showed her to roll the window down first. She then threw it out again. I also enjoyed it a lot when she slammed the door, and the whole thing fell apart. Even though I didn't see it, it seemed pretty clear, given the sound effects and his reaction. However my favorite part was the end, where he tricked her, when he asked for a kiss on the cheek, then turned his face so that it was on the lips! :D

When you have a large audience, I think it is very important to exaggerate everything you do, so that it is clear what is happening, and so that the audience doesn't get confused.