Arlecchino, Mon Amour!
Many saw him as the embodiment the Roman god of trickery and thieves Mercury, others claimed he resembled African slaves, while others still believed his name was derived from Caesarius of Arles. Harlequin – the cunning servant, paramour and jester entertaining audiences with jokes and acrobatics – is the main protagonist of the 11th Days of Commedia dell’Arte (21 February – 1 March). The theatre form originating from 16th century Italy, celebrated worldwide on 25 February, is tirelessly popularised in Kraków by the Polish-Swiss couple Agnieszka Cianciara-Fröhlich and Jonathan Fröhlich.
The festival opens with a vernissage of the exhibition Harlequin. Around Commedia dell’Arte at the Italian Cultural Institute. The following days are filled with theatre meetings and workshops, and of course spectacles. The “Cracovia Danza” Court Ballet takes the audience on a dance-filled journey to Renaissance Italy and Baroque France (25 February, Kraków Variété Theatre). The same stage also presents audience favourites Trupa Komedianty group and a fairytale take on The Adventures of Harlequin. Faiytale dell’Arte. Way to go!
(Justyna Skalska, “Karnet” magazine)
