Theatre of Lelio

But the Italian Theatre of Lelio, sponsored in Paris by the regent Philippe d’Orleans, attracted him far more. The major players Thomassin and Silvia of this commedia dell’arte troupe became Marivaux’s stock lovers: Harlequin, or the valet, and the ingenue. Arlequin poli par l’amour (1723; “Harlequin Brightened by…