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 Third Centenary of the Birth Of Carlo Goldoni Scott 1354-1355 (2007) The Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni was born on February 25, 1707. In 2007, Vatican City issued a set to commemorate the 300th anniversary of his birth. The set consisted of the two stamps shown above, as well as an elaborate souvenir sheet, shown below, which contains a single 2.80-euro stamp with side sections which, when folded, create the effect of a theatre curtain. Goldoni was born to a middle-class family in Venice. He led a restless childhood, being forced to study law by his family even though he was really interested in theatre with a special preference for the great comic actors. Beginning with the first plays he wrote, Goldoni brought about an authentic revolution in the theatre world by replacing scripted scenes with ones in which actors were free to improvise dialogues, monologues, comedy, and stage movements. His stage success followed one theatrical season after another, beginning in 1748 with plays that were to make history in Italian theatre. Among them was The Coffee House, The Innkeeper, Comic Theatre, The Venetian Quarrels, and II Campiello. In 1762, he moved to Paris to direct the theatre of the "Comedie Italienne". Goldoni encountered many difficulties in France, given that he faced a demanding public that had already experienced the theatrical reforms of Moliere. In 1765 Louis XV had Goldoni go to Versailles to teach Italian and prepare shows. Even though his creative inspiration was fading, Goldoni made a great comeback by composing in French his Iast masterpiece, The Benevolent Curmudgeon. In 1771, it was performed at the Comedie Francaise and became a resounding success. Unfortunately, little financial benefit came from the author's works and the French Revolution radically changed the panorama, forcing Carlo Goldoni into poverty. He died in Paris on February 6, 1793.  Third Centenary of the Birth Of Carlo Goldoni Souvenir Sheet, Scott 1356 (2007) This article originally appeared in Vatican Notes in November, 2007 (Volume 56, Number 3, page 6). It has been edited and updated. Please refer to the link in the reference below to view the original article. REFERENCES: |
