Tonight We Improvise: Analysis of Major Characters
"Tonight We Improvise: Analysis of Major Characters" explores a unique theatrical experience that blends improvisation with structured narrative elements. Central to this exploration is Doctor Hinkfuss, the stage manager who embodies authority and unpredictability, asserting that the evening's performance is shaped by improvisation rather than a fixed script. His philosophical musings challenge the boundaries between life and theater, raising questions about the nature of performance and authenticity.
The narrative features the Leading Man, portraying Rico Verri, who grapples with his identity between character and performer, expressing frustration over the lack of written dialogue and the chaos of improvisation. In contrast, the Leading Lady, playing Mommina, initially seeks control through scripted lines but ultimately finds freedom in fully embodying her character. Other characters, such as Old Character Man and Character Woman, navigate their societal roles amidst personal desires, adding layers to the unfolding drama.
The interactions among these characters and with the audience reveal the tensions inherent in theatrical performance, highlighting the dynamic relationship between scripted narratives and spontaneous expression. This blend of character-driven storytelling and improvisational theater invites a deeper reflection on the nature of art and life, making the analysis of these major characters a compelling study for enthusiasts of both theater and philosophy.
Tonight We Improvise: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Luigi Pirandello
First published: Questa sera si recita a soggetto, 1930 (English translation, 1932)
Genre: Play
Locale: The theater itself and Sicily
Plot: Surrealism
Time: The 1920's
Doctor Hinkfuss, the stage manager (director) of an improvised dramatic presentation. Dwarfish in size yet gigantic in his assumed authority, Hinkfuss comes on stage to address the audience at the opening of the play, declaring himself, rather than the unidentified author of the play, fully responsible for the evening's performance. Instead of presenting the usual fixed, unmoving drama, he will present a living, changing theater as vital and unpredictable as life itself. Throughout the production, he interrupts scenes with comments of approval or disgust; he maneuvers light and set pieces to create the ambience he desires with no regard for the actors' needs or responses. At every opportunity, he heedlessly prattles on with his philosophy of the aesthetics of the theater, asserting the superiority of improvisation and spontaneity over fixed dialogue for the creation of the essential fluidity and passion of life on the stage. He asserts that, like life, improvisational theater allows for the unforeseen circumstances that may thwart the best-planned organization of events. Hinkfuss presents to the minds of the audience the Pirandellian conundrum: whether it is life that shapes and defines theater or theater that gives the shape of truth to life.
Leading Man, who plays the part of Rico Verri, a young Sicilian aviation officer, and speaks also as himself, Mr.…, the leading male performer of the troupe. He testily refuses to be introduced to the audience before the performance of the play-within-the-play, protesting that he must be nonexistent for the audience as anyone but his character part; he must live only as the character Verri for the time he is on stage. He is a temperamental and angry young man, both in himself and as the character he plays, frequently stepping out of his part to berate the stage manager or other actors in the same manner that his character scolds and belittles other characters in the play. The Leading Man is dissatisfied with improvisation, believing that there must be written parts or the actors will begin to speak out of real passions and life will take over where the stage should prevail. He criticizes Hinkfuss, demanding in the third act that he leave the stage entirely and allow the actors to continue without his manipulations and bring meaning solely through their own interactions.
Leading Lady, who plays the part of Mommina, the oldest daughter of the Le Croce family, and speaks also as herself, Mrs….,theleadingfemaleperformer.Shetooresistsimprovisation, claiming that she requires specific lines and actions to be certain of the quality of her performance. Throughout the first two acts, she manipulates other cast members into following her view of the scenes. In the final act, however, after the stage manager has been forced to leave, she gives herself entirely to identification with her character, Mommina, who has married Rico Verri to prove that her family is worthy of a place in acceptable society.
Old Character Man, who plays the part of Signor Palmiro Le Croce, nicknamed Penny Whistle, and speaks also as himself to Hinkfuss and the other actors. Signor Palmiro is an ineffectual old man, harassed by his society-minded wife and made to appear foolish by the younger men of the village because he is fond of a young singer from the local tavern. In the course of the improvisational script, the character Palmiro is killed while protecting the young singer from an angry suitor.
Character Woman, who plays the part of Signora Ignatia Le Croce and speaks also as herself to Hinkfuss and the other actors. The signora is intent on living an urban style of life in her small country village. Because of this determination, she brings disgrace on her family by allowing her four daughters to entertain young men openly in their home, an action looked on as scandalously brazen by the gossipy villagers.
Mommina, Totina, Dorina, and Nenè Le Croce, four charming and high-spirited young women who flirt with young aviation officers assigned them as their escorts by their mother. Their actions scandalize Rico Verri, and he marries Mommina to take her away from such circumstances. He then imprisons her in his home, however, to make certain she does not bring scandal on him.
Mangini, Nardi, Pomarici, Pometti, and Sarella, five young aviation officers who are guests at parties in the Le Croce home. They escort the Le Croce daughters and their mother to social affairs.
Members of the Audience, various men and women seated among the actual audience. Their purpose is to respond to and occasionally to heckle Dr. Hinkfuss in his lengthy explanations and philosophizing about the aesthetics of the theater.