Domenico Garello (19th cent.)

Between 1812 and 1819, actor Domenico Garello presented a series of farces and parodies (with titles in either Italian or Genoese) at the Campetto and Falcone theaters, which featured the character “Signor Regina” as the protagonist. Amongst the comedies, Il Signor Regina alla Malapaga, Il matrimonio del Signor Regina con la Signora Lattuga, Le cantatrici di Bargagli e Regina capo dell’orchestra dei gobbi, Il convitato di pietra con Regina servo di Don Giovanni, Il signor Regina medico per forza, Regina servitore di due padroni, Regina atterrito dalle apparizioni and others. Mr. Regina, before he was a theatrical character, had been a flesh-and-blood man, a vagabond originally from the Western Riviera, a certain a Francesco Cavanna, who earned his living by going around taverns and making people laugh, who would hand him a glass of wine and a piece of bread. In 1792, at the age of forty, he died suddenly, completely drunk, falling down the stairs of an inn, and some suspicion had even arisen about this end of his life, which seemed suspicious. But people had not forgotten him, and some actors, including Garello, had continued to play the character in plays even years later. Martino Piaggio, introducing his first Lunäio (1815), has him say this:

“…I've been dead for 30 years,
yet they make me speak, to mock me,
In plays, on calendars, and on leaflets.”

Perhaps Piaggio himself had collaborated on these little plays, especially writing the verses that often conclude individual scenes, to summarize their content; and later he, too, took up the character, modifying it again on the pages of his Lunäio, until he became the prototype of the common-sense and “old-fashioned” Genoese, a figure that returns over the years to the theater of the Bacigalupo, and from this into Govi’s. Garello’s farces seemed lost, until, in the 1970s, Aidano Schmuckher discovered in the archives of the Museo del Risorgimento Le gelosie del Signor Regina, attributing them to Piaggio. According to F. Toso, this play is instead the work of Garello, which for various reasons is more likely. The writer of this note was able to attend (1977) what was perhaps the last staging of this play, directed by Cesare Viazzi, and performed by Nanni Raffo and Franco Paladini, two fine actors, who perhaps have been somewhat forgotten today.

Le gelosie del Signor Regina, Atto II, Scena 2ª

Here we present the scene in which Mr. Regina meets (and clashes) with the other character of Genoese theater, the buffoonish Corporal, who here is called “Enrico” and pretends to be French due to the plot, with all the misunderstandings typical of this type of plays. In this way, the old comedy of seventeenth-century multilingual theater is revived, with the misunderstandings that arise between speakers of two different languages. It should be remembered that we are in the days when Genoa and Liguria belonged to the Napoleonic Empire, and occupying French soldiers, who were occasionally to be feared, would have frequently been seen in real life.

Enrico (che sorte dalla tendina vestito in uniforme), e Regina

Enrico

Quel est donc tout ce tapage?

Regiña

(Ah, meschin de mi! Un atro ascoso in casa… a no n’aveiva assæ do sciô Lindöo de feua!)

Enrico

Parlez donc Monsieur, ce n’est pas la maniére…

Regiña

(Me sento röda da-o venin) E chi Scià è, o sciô Monsù?

Enrico

Je suis un militaire, ne voyez vous pas?

Regiña

E cöse scià à da intré, inti fæti de moà, e de mæ moggê?

Enrico

Je vous rèpete que ce n’est pas la manière… Je suis bien etonnè de votre villaine façon d’agir envers votre femme…

Regiña

Ma Monsù, in casa de moà pòsso faire quello che je veu, pöi a me gh’à tiré per i cavelli!

Enrico

(si accosta seriamente e lo prende per un braccio tirandolo in disparte) Monsieur? Comprenez vous bien le français?

Regiña

Oui, che ô capiscio, e ô sò pöcassæ bin parlé, pourquoi?

Enrico

Attendez. Repondez moi, quel tort vous à fait votre femme?

Regiña

Ma premierement scià me digghe un peu qui etez vous Monsù, che sei in casa de moà, ascoso da-a tendiñ?

Enrico

(risoluto e grave) Je suis un officier français qui vient de la guerre, qu’on a fait l’honneur d’envoyer loger chez vous pour deux ou quatre mois!

Regiña

Molte graçie! Bello regalletto! (Ò capio, o l’é un allögio, e a birba a no me dixeiva ninte). Et bien, a mæ famme a m’à tradio, ghe voeu donné un memorial, e pöi mandâla via de la maison.

Enrico

(con trasporto) Comment? vous quittez votre belle femme?

Regiña

Oui, giusto apponto perché a l’é bella, scì che amenemen ghe mettiö beaucoup!

Enrico

(ironicamente e picchiandogli sopra una spalla) Vous ne la ferez pas, Monsieur, votre femme est incapable de vous trahir. Elle vous aime… (serio) C’est vous qui etes jaloux à tort (picchiandogli forte assai sulla spalla).

Regiña

Ahi! Vous burlez, Monsieur, e comment vous savez tutte queste choses, che vegnî dalla guerre?

Enrico

Je le sais, et je le soutiendrai avec mon epée (toccando la spada).

Regiña

(questa a vâ doî södi, miæ se me capitan tutti di boin). Ma Monsù, ammiæ bien che oscinià è int’un erreur, ghe pòsso fâ vedde e toché co-e moen a veritè de quello che ghe diggo…

Enrico

(risoluto) Je vous repéte, que vostre femme est fidelle, que la connois bien, et que vous étes un villain jaloux, ventre-bleu… Voilà mon epée…

Regiña

(Stæ à vedde che piggio ancon de bòtte) Ma Monsù no che no son gioso. Vintitrei beu! (tira fuori un biglietto) prenez, ammiæ un pittin cette lettre che ghe scrive sò amant spaximé… voyez Lindore…

Enrico

(ironico) Ce n’est pas à elle.

Regiña

Ma voyez Monsù, cöse ghe dixe: «Alla Sig. Rosa Regina»

Enrico

Je connois bien cette lettre, je sais tout, pas de replique, la femme est fidelle, vous ne la meritez pas (in aria di caricaturarlo). Allez Monsieur prendre un peu d’air… sortez… allez vous promener, vous en avez besoin (ridente sardonico) j’ai à dire quelque chose à votre belle Rosine.

Regiña

(Ò capio tutto).

Enrico

Vous reviendrez peut étre bien convaincu de votre tort. Allez-allez donc.

Regiña

(O me manda via de casa mæ! ma chi ghe veu prudensa, mi no me veuggio dâ). E bien donnez moi donque a mæ lettea.

Enrico

Oh! Cette lettre est trop chere à qui elle est ecrite, je la tiens pour la lui donner (ridendo) vous est bien bon.

Regiña

(o me carrega ancon! Andemmo subito da-o sciô Gieumo à piggiâ un pö de paei e savei comme m’ò da regolâ). Za che, Monsù, me mandez via con tanta boña manea, je m’en vais; scià no manquez pas d’amusà à votre piaxei (pe atro sento che ghe patiscio à lasciâ chì a mæ Rosiña; se me â poëse portâ via coscì infedele comme a l’é, tanto a me saiva caa; basta, andiö e torniö subito). Adieu Monsù, Scignoria (che o diao o te pòrte via).

Enrico

(ridente) Adieu mon ami, allez devenir un tres bon mari. Venez, touchez la main (gliela stringe assai forte).

Regiña

(Ahimemì, o me stòcca e die!) (la ritira presto, lo guarda brusco e dice) adieu.

Enrico

Adieu, mon cher parent.

Regiña

(sò paente! Ò capio tutto!) (fra’ denti) Adieu.

Enrico

Adieu, adieu au plaisir Mons. Reginà

Regiña

(parte arrabbiato e mortificato facendo dei lazzi e girandosi addietro) Poscito scciuppâ!