Luigi Riccoboni (1 April 1676 â€" 6 December 1753) was an Italian
actor and writer on theatre, who was director of the
Comédie-Italienne in Paris from 1716 to 1731. In France he was known
as Louis Riccoboni and his stage name was Lélio.Born Luigi Andrea
Riccoboni in Modena, he was the son of Antonio Riccoboni, who played
Pantalone in London in 1678â€"1679. In 1699 Luigi Riccoboni
established a commedia dell'arte troupe in the French style in
northern Italy, since in his view the Italian tradition had become
overly decadent. He also translated some of the plays of Molière and
Racine into Italian.In the spring of 1716 the French Regent, Philippe
d'Orléans, asked his cousin, the Duke of Parma, to send him a troupe
of Italian actors to revive the Comédie-Italienne in Paris, which had
been disbanded nearly twenty years previous. To avoid some of the
difficulties of the earlier troupe, he specified that its leader
should be a man of good character and manners. Riccoboni was chosen,
and in a few weeks he assembled a group of ten actors, all of whom
were devout Christians. The troupe was meant to perform in the Hôtel
de Bourgogne, which had been vacant since 1697, but that theatre
needed renovation, so they initially played at the Théâtre du
Palais-Royal on days when the Opéra was not performing. Even after
moving to the Bourgogne, the troupe continued to perform at the
Palais-Royal on Mondays and Saturdays until the death of the Regent in
1723.As a director, Riccoboni initially had difficulty retaining
audiences with improvised plays in Italian. More and more he turned to
written texts and a style of presentation that was tailored to local
tastes, along with an ever increasing use of the French language. In
February 1718 he successfully revived some of the old plays of
Évariste Gherardi, the director of the Comédie-Italienne in the
years prior to 1697. He himself wrote several plays, including
L'Italien à Paris and L'Italien francisé in which Italian and French
manners were juxtaposed. He also began to produce plays by French
playwrights, such as Pierre Rémond de Sainte-Albine, whose scenario
L'Amante difficile was performed in Italian. The first play entirely
in French was Le Naufrage au Port à l'Anglais by Jacques Autreau.
Riccoboni achieved his greatest acclaim for his expressive acting,
particularly in the plays of Marivaux.
actor and writer on theatre, who was director of the
Comédie-Italienne in Paris from 1716 to 1731. In France he was known
as Louis Riccoboni and his stage name was Lélio.Born Luigi Andrea
Riccoboni in Modena, he was the son of Antonio Riccoboni, who played
Pantalone in London in 1678â€"1679. In 1699 Luigi Riccoboni
established a commedia dell'arte troupe in the French style in
northern Italy, since in his view the Italian tradition had become
overly decadent. He also translated some of the plays of Molière and
Racine into Italian.In the spring of 1716 the French Regent, Philippe
d'Orléans, asked his cousin, the Duke of Parma, to send him a troupe
of Italian actors to revive the Comédie-Italienne in Paris, which had
been disbanded nearly twenty years previous. To avoid some of the
difficulties of the earlier troupe, he specified that its leader
should be a man of good character and manners. Riccoboni was chosen,
and in a few weeks he assembled a group of ten actors, all of whom
were devout Christians. The troupe was meant to perform in the Hôtel
de Bourgogne, which had been vacant since 1697, but that theatre
needed renovation, so they initially played at the Théâtre du
Palais-Royal on days when the Opéra was not performing. Even after
moving to the Bourgogne, the troupe continued to perform at the
Palais-Royal on Mondays and Saturdays until the death of the Regent in
1723.As a director, Riccoboni initially had difficulty retaining
audiences with improvised plays in Italian. More and more he turned to
written texts and a style of presentation that was tailored to local
tastes, along with an ever increasing use of the French language. In
February 1718 he successfully revived some of the old plays of
Évariste Gherardi, the director of the Comédie-Italienne in the
years prior to 1697. He himself wrote several plays, including
L'Italien à Paris and L'Italien francisé in which Italian and French
manners were juxtaposed. He also began to produce plays by French
playwrights, such as Pierre Rémond de Sainte-Albine, whose scenario
L'Amante difficile was performed in Italian. The first play entirely
in French was Le Naufrage au Port à l'Anglais by Jacques Autreau.
Riccoboni achieved his greatest acclaim for his expressive acting,
particularly in the plays of Marivaux.
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