If citing, please kindly acknowledge copyright © Penelope J. Corfield (2022)
Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837) in full clown costume,
Well, here is an unusual Georgian celebration but a congenial one. As part of the professionalization of many industrial and service occupations,1 the ancient trade of clowning in the eighteenth century came into its own. With population and urban growth, the number of theatres and circuses across Britain also multiplied. They provided evening and holiday entertainments for populations without TVs and radios, let alone without mobile phones and social media.
One who made his name as dancer, actor, comedian and all-round entertainer was Joseph Grimaldi.2 In 1778, he was born in London into an acting family, of Italian ancestry. He began performing as a child. And he threw himself into his roles with great physical energy, getting a number of injuries which took their toll in his later years.
The part that he made especially his own was the clown in the English Harlequinade, which was a theatrical burlesque upon the story of Harlequin and Columbine. Grimaldi was so successful and popular that other clowns were named after him as ‘Joey’. His trademark ‘whiteface’ also became much copied by his fellow artistes.
Grimaldi had the confidence, above all, to develop the art of comic interaction with his audiences. One of his famous catch-phrases was: ‘Well, here we are again’. Remarks of that sort indicated to his audiences that it was ok to sit back and be amused. Backchat augmented the collective sense of community and familiarity. It did not free the clown from the obligation to be funny. But it helped by getting audiences into a good mood – and into a state of expectation. Grimaldi’s clown mask and costume thus gave him a head start.
Nonetheless, there was a certain pressure in performing regularly and being always expected to provoke laughter. Grimaldi, who constantly played the London theatres and also toured extensively, was caught in an all-consuming professional role, calling upon both intense physical agility and a keen sense of social satire. He fused traditional slapstick with an urban knowingness and irreverence. It was a demanding combination; and it was not surprising that, from time to time, Grimaldi fell out with theatre producers – and eventually with his own family. He retired from the stage, reluctantly, in 1823 (in his mid-forties), although he returned for occasional benefit performances. In his last years, he was often depressed, physically ailing, and short of money.
Yet Grimaldi on stage epitomised the joy of unbridled laughter. He became the ‘quintessential’ clown. A sort of secular patron-saint of the role. By the mid-nineteenth century, his comic qualities had become almost proverbial. Oldsters would shake their heads and say: ‘Ah! You should have seen Grimaldi!’
Professional clowns who followed in his footsteps were glad to have such a sparkling role model. In Islington, a small park bearing his name is located just off the Pentonville Road. It lies in the former burial grounds of an Anglican Chapel, where Grimaldi is buried. A new public artwork there is dedicated to him and to Charles Dibdin (1768-1833), the dramatist and theatrical proprietor.
Moreover – and here is the February link – on the first Sunday in February each year an Annual Clowns Service is held in Holy Trinity Church, Hackney, East London. The event has been held annually since the mid-1940s. And it is attended by hundreds of clowns, all in full costume.
What a tribute to the power of memory, to the joy of shared laughter, and to the impact of a pioneering life. Today, there are many brilliant comedians – on stages, in circuses, in print, and on all forms of social media. All praiseworthy, some truly hilarious! ‘Ah! [but] you should have seen Grimaldi!’
1 For context, see P.J. Corfield, Power and the Professions in Britain, 1700-1850 (1995).
2 H.D. Miles, The Life of Joseph Grimaldi, With Anecdotes of his Contemporaries (1838; and later reprints); A.M. Stott, The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain’s Greatest Comedian (Edinburgh, 2010).
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"Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya kwanza ya jarida la ""Penelope J. Corfield"" (pichani) Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837), ""Hii ni sherehe ya kijerusi isiyo ya kawaida lakini ya kawaida.""" Kama sehemu ya ufundi wa viwanda na huduma nyingi, biashara ya kale ya clowning katika karne ya kumi na nane ilikuja. Kadiri idadi ya watu ilivyokua na miji iliongezeka, ndivyo idadi ya majumba ya maonyesho na maonyesho ya sarakasi ilivyokua pia. Walitengeneza burudani za jioni na za likizo kwa watu wasio na televisheni na redio, na hata wasio na simu za mkononi na mitandao ya kijamii. Mmoja wa watu waliojulikana sana kama mchezaji wa dansi, mwigizaji, mchekeshaji na mchekeshaji wa kila aina alikuwa Joseph Grimaldi, ambaye alizaliwa London mwaka 1778 katika familia ya waigizaji wa asili ya Italia. Alianza kufanya maonyesho akiwa mtoto. Na alijitupa katika majukumu yake na nishati kubwa ya kimwili, kupata idadi ya majeraha ambayo alichukua toll yao katika miaka yake ya baadaye. "Hata hivyo, kwa sababu ya kuvutia kwa ajili ya kuigiza, alicheza sehemu ya ""The English Harlequin,"" ambayo ni burlesque ya kuigiza ya hadithi ya Harlequin na Columbine." Grimaldi alikuwa na mafanikio na maarufu sana hivi kwamba wachekeshaji wengine walipewa jina lake kama <unk>Joey<unk>. Alama yake ya biashara "whiteface" pia ilirekodiwa sana na wasanii wenzake. Grimaldi alikuwa na uhakika, juu ya yote, kuendeleza sanaa ya comic mwingiliano na watazamaji wake. Moja ya misemo yake maarufu ilikuwa: <unk>Naam, hapa sisi ni tena<unk>. Maelezo ya aina hiyo yaliwaonyesha wasikilizaji wake kwamba ilikuwa sawa kuketi na kufurahishwa. Mazungumzo ya nyuma yaliongeza hisia ya pamoja ya jumuiya na ukoo. Haikumweka mcheshi huru kutoka kwa wajibu wa kuwa mcheshi. Lakini ilisaidia kwa kupata watazamaji katika hali nzuri <unk> na katika hali ya matarajio. Kwa hiyo, Grimaldi alikuwa na nafasi ya kuanza kwa kutumia kinyago na mavazi yake ya mcheshi. Hata hivyo, kulikuwa na mkazo fulani wa kufanya maonyesho kwa ukawaida na kutarajiwa sikuzote kusababisha kicheko. Grimaldi, ambaye mara kwa mara alicheza katika majumba ya maonyesho ya London na pia alitembelea sana, alikamatwa katika jukumu la kitaaluma la kila kitu, akitoa wito kwa wote wawili nguvu ya kimwili na hisia kali ya ucheshi wa kijamii. Alijumuisha ucheshi wa kitamaduni na ujuzi wa mijini na kutoheshimu. Ilikuwa mchanganyiko wa kudai; na haishangazi kwamba, mara kwa mara, Grimaldi alianguka nje na wazalishaji wa ukumbi wa michezo <unk> na hatimaye na familia yake mwenyewe. Alijiuzulu kutoka kwenye jukwaa, kwa kusita, mnamo 1823 (katika miaka yake ya arobaini), ingawa alirudi kwa maonyesho ya faida ya mara kwa mara. Katika miaka yake ya mwisho, mara nyingi alikuwa ameshuka moyo, alikuwa mgonjwa kimwili, na hakuwa na pesa. Hata hivyo Grimaldi kwenye jukwaa aliwakilisha shangwe ya kicheko kisicho na kikomo. Akawa mcheshi "muhimu". Aina ya mlinzi-mtakatifu wa kilimwengu wa jukumu hilo. Kufikia katikati ya karne ya kumi na tisa, sifa zake za kuchekesha zilikuwa zimekuwa za kawaida. Wazee wangetetemesha vichwa vyao na kusema: 'Ah! Unapaswa kuwa umeona Grimaldi! <unk> Wachezaji wa michezo wa kitaalamu waliomfuata katika nyayo zake walifurahi kuwa na mfano mzuri kama huo. Huko Islington, bustani ndogo inayoitwa kwa jina lake iko karibu na Barabara ya Pentonville. Iko katika makaburi ya zamani ya Kanisa la Anglikana, ambako Grimaldi amezikwa. Katika maonyesho hayo, alishirikiana na Charles Dibdin (1768-1833) ambaye alikuwa mwandishi wa michezo ya kuigiza. Zaidi ya hayo <unk> na hapa ni kiungo Februari <unk> Jumapili ya kwanza katika Februari kila mwaka Huduma ya Clowns ya kila mwaka hufanyika katika Kanisa la Utatu Mtakatifu, Hackney, Mashariki mwa London. Tukio hilo limekuwa likifanyika kila mwaka tangu katikati ya miaka ya 1940. Na inahudhuriwa na mamia ya wachekeshaji, wote wakiwa wamevalia mavazi kamili. Ni heshima kubwa kwa nguvu ya kumbukumbu, kwa furaha ya kucheka pamoja, na kwa athari ya maisha ya upainia. Leo, kuna waigizaji wengi wa vichekesho <unk> kwenye jukwaa, katika sarakasi, katika magazeti, na katika aina zote za vyombo vya habari vya kijamii. Yote ni yenye kustahili kusifiwa, na mengine ni yenye kuchekesha sana! ‘Ah! [lakini] unapaswa kuwa umeona Grimaldi! <unk> 1 Kwa muktadha, angalia P.J. Corfield, Nguvu na Kazi katika Uingereza, 1700-1850 (1995). 2 H.D. "Miles, ""The Life of Joseph Grimaldi, With Anecdotes of His Contemporaries"" (1838) na ""The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain's Greatest Comedian"" (Edinburgh, 2010) ni vitabu vya kuigiza vya Kiingereza." Kwa maelezo zaidi, angalia Twitter, kwa maelezo zaidi, tafadhali bonyeza hapa, na kwa maelezo zaidi, angalia hapa.