Since 1570 French kings had obtained visits by commedia dell'arte groups by arrangement with the dukes of Milan and Mantua. But it was only in 1653 that an Italian theatre was located permanently in Paris. Though the Italian theatre (subsequently known as the Comédie-Italienne or Théâtre Italien) was initially a colony of the commedia dell'arte (directed by Fiorilli— Scaramouche), its location and circumstances entailed a separate and unique development. From its repertoire of stock characters, some specifically Italian ones were dropped, and the Arlequin character assumed increasing prominence. The company obtained permission to use French in 1684. Entertaining rather than instructive, they performed topical and satirical plays and parodies, but their chief dramatic resources were spectacle, songs, and action. Among the dramatists who wrote for this ‘Ancienne Troupe’ were Regnard, Dufresny, Delosme de Monchesnay, Palaprat, Fatouville, and Gherardi. Though the Italiens were initially supported by the king, the licentiousness of their performances increasingly displeased the authorities, and a series of performances of La Fausse Prude, in which allusions to Madame de Maintenon were detected, brought their expulsion from Paris in 1697.
The Regent brought the ‘Nouvelle Troupe Italienne’ back to the Hôtel de Bourgogne under Luigi Riccoboni (Lelio) in 1716. A fruitful period of collaboration with Marivaux followed from 1720 to 1743. Along with Thomassin, who transformed the role of Arlequin, the actresses were the company's strongest performers, and Marivaux's innamorate were conceived specially with Flaminia and Silvia in mind. Other important writers for this company were Autreau, Gueullette, Sedaine, Coypel, and Delisle. As improvisation declined from the 1730s, the inclusion of music and songs increased, French actors came to outnumber Italian ones, and the Italian language was rarely used. In 1762 the Italian company merged with the Opéra-Comique. Its Italian repertoire was suppressed in 1779, and its official title changed to ‘Opéra-Comique’ in 1793.
[John Dunkley]
