Pierrot in Petrograd

Douglas Clayton examines the tradition of commedia dell''arte as the Russian modernists inherited it, from its origins in Italian street theatre through its various transformations: in Italy (Gozzi and Goldini''s plays); in France (the development of Pierrot and the restructuring of the plot); and in Germany (Tieck''s and Hoffmann''s metatheatre). He also analyses crucial texts by Gozzi, Lothar, Benavente, and Schnitzler that came to play a central role in the Russian theatre. Tracing the history of commedia dell''arte on the Russian stage, he demonstrates that the introduction of the tradition was theory-driven and discusses several milestone productions in the pre- and post-revolutionary period. Clayton examines the impact of commedia dell''arte, russified as the new theatrical genre of balagan, on both popular and lesser-known Russian playwrights, and, in conclusion, explores the significance of the commedia dell''arte as a theoretical underpinning for Sergei Eisenstein''s theories of theatre and film.