On the night of June 13^th, Italian playwright Goldoni’s classic comedy Il Servitore di Due Padroni, directed by WANG Jiannan, ran for a hilarious performance starring the NCPA Drama Ensemble.

 

Under the bright-coloured curtain, four attendants in dramatically striped costumes were all bustling about, waiting quietly for the audience to take their seats. Then began the comedy with playful banter. As the curtain was raised slowly in increasingly bright lights, there appeared a poetic stage in clear blues and whites before the audience, looking as romantic as the City of Water, Venice itself.

In Venetian merchant Bandaroni’s home, a warm betrothal ceremony is taking place, with Clarice and Xilivio, two young people in love, soon to become a happy couple. Suddenly, an uninvited guest comes, with things taking an unexpected turn. A rash servant appears with a piece of shocking news that someone long presumed dead by everyone turns up, shattering the peaceful atmosphere in an instant. A single thought stirs up a storm. One misunderstanding after another, a cascade of hilarious blunders follows, kicking off the entire comedy with a lively prelude.

 

The comedic soul of this work is the “intruder” - Tufatino, a servant of “two masters”. The character is portrayed by DONG Wenliang, an NCPA Drama Ensemble member. Greedy for double wages, Tufatino, seemingly muddleheaded, finds himself two masters. He needs to serve Bettridge, who is actually a girl, and meanwhile, he has to wait on Florindo, a lovesick wanderer. He must juggle lies to hide his dual identity. Meanwhile, he must face matrimonial disputes among nobles. Despite various flaws, he scores a lucky hit every time by playing “petty tricks”. DONG Wenliang gives a vivid portrayal of this character, including his petty gesture or subtle expression - how he looks when feeling hungry, when dealing with his two masters, when acting in a panic to patch up a lie or when giving others a surreptitious wink now and then. That’s also what contemporary workers look like - they are greedy for small gains yet good-natured, astute and awkward, too.

The nobles are tangled in love and wealth, while the servant runs off his feet. The comedy takes place in an agreeable stage atmosphere, as improvised little touches keep setting off bursts of laughter from the audience.

The “two masters” are brilliant, too. Bettridge, portrayed by YANG Qi, dresses herself as her brother - that’s really something amazing on the stage. Neatly dressed, she looks valiant and heroic in bearing. Speaking eloquently, she sounds firm and resolute. With her maiden heart hidden away, she schemes at every step to recover debts. Disguised as a tough man, she really looks rather masculine. GUO Shuojie’s Florindo is a lovesick, devoted soul. He sails to Venice in search of his beloved, only to run into the servant and his lover in a series of comic scenes. His mood swings unaffectedly. The love between Bettridge and him - coming so close yet unreachable - is what drives the story forward, with each twist‑of‑fate encounter sparking fresh laughter.

 

The wealthy merchant, Bandaroni, played by SUN Lishi, talks in a measured, worldly‑wise tone. As a senior merchant, he is sophisticated and considers himself noble - this finds expression in his every gesture. He says, “The Bandaroni family always keeps its word”, which clearly brings out his pride. His temper is under his control, and his poker face foreshadows a hilarious scene - the contrast is wonderfully comical. The innkeeper, Bourighera, portrayed by MA Qinglong, sees everything with a twinkle in his eye. What he says, only a few words, foretells what will take place thereafter, tying the whole story together. YAO Yu plays Dr. Lombardi, a cultured yet pedantic man, rigid in his adherence to rules. This character tosses around four-word idioms with ease - though sometimes they don’t quite hit the mark. “Mr. Lombardi and his son” have earned enthusiastic applause from the audience as well.

As the story draws to a close, all misunderstandings are cleared up, with the lovers finally getting married. Even Tufatino falls in love, though he is busy all day long. Written 300 years ago, this classic comedy remains popular today, now staged sweetly in the summer night breeze. The comedy will run for more brilliant performances until June 21^st.