Leopoldo Fregoli
Encyclopedia
Leopoldo Fregoli (2 July 1867 in Rome
– 26 November 1936 in Viareggio
) was a stage star and early Italian
actor.
) artist of his day. He was famous for his extraordinary ability in impersonations and his quickness in exchanging roles-so much so that while he was performing in London
in the 1890s unkind rumours spread that there was more than one Fregoli. He quickly quashed these rumours by inviting journalists and doubters backstage to see him at work: Fregoli had no secrets. He even went to see the host of imitators he inspired ("The Great Trickoli" and "Fregolina" were some examples) and offered them advice about how to improve their performances.
under General Baldissera
in 1890. A troupe of theatrical performers the general hired to entertain his soldiers did not materialise. Fregoli offered to fill in and was an immediate success. General Baldissera subsequently had Fregoli posted, not as a soldier but as a performer, to the theatre at Massowah, which he used to entertain soldiers. Fregoli became the director and stage manager of the theatre and casino. After a year he returned to Italy and performed in Rome, Genoa
and Florence
. In the audience at Florence was a government registry clerk, Ugo Biondi, who was so impressed with Fregoli's performance that he sought him out and asked for some lessons in how to follow in his footsteps. Fregoli generously complied and Biondi went on to be another great quick change artist-first claiming to be a pupil but later set up as the 'original' Fregoli.
, Spain
, and the United States
. While he was in Madrid he was watched in performance by Alfred Moul, the general manager of the Alhambra Theatre
in London's Charing Cross Road
(which was being refitted at that time in the Moorish style under the direction of the great designer Owen Jones
). Moul had heard of Fregoli's genius and wanted to be the first impresario in Britain
to sign him up. He subsequently claimed that Fregoli (and his team of supporting assistants) were being paid £350 per week to perform at the Alhambra—a remarkable amount for the time. This was nothing compared to what Fregoli was to generate in ticket sales.
The Alhambra was scheduled to reopen early in March 1897 with the premiere of Sir Arthur Sullivan's new ballet "Victoria and Merrie England
". There were a few problems with this work (it was rather over-long in its original form) and so it was thought that for a week or two, Leopoldo Fregoli could perform (he needed little in the way of permanent sets, etc.) until Sir Arthur was satisfied his work was just right. Such was Fregoli's success that it was to be late in May of that year before the Sullivan piece was finally performed.
, Rossini
, Verdi
and Paderewski
one after another. He would exit stage left as a street musician and appear almost immediately stage right as a woman. Everybody—including all of the great actors and performers of the day, such as Dan Leno
—wanted to see him and his run was extended and extended, as was the seating in the theatre—not bad for someone who didn't even speak English. The general view of him was that, apart from his obvious abilities as a quick change artist he was- unlike his rivals- a consummate actor and a brilliant writer. He gave private performances for royalty and aristocrats (such as the Rothschilds, for whom he calmly explained all of his tricks). He inspired a host of imitators, male and female. Every theatre in London soon had its protean artist-even Biondi was there, performing at the same time. There were spoofers and parodists: journalists claimed tipsy theatre goers were demanding their money back when discovering that all the performers they had just watched were actually only one man.
, promising to be back in London the following February. Whether he did so is presently unclear. Several of his performances were later filmed.
Rather suddenly, in 1922, while performing in Niterói
, a city across the bay, opposite Rio de Janeiro, he decided to quit the world of quick change.
theatre performers, but very little information is available about him in English. He did write an autobiography (published by Rizzoli
) and was the subject of another book (Fregoli, 1867-1936. Sa vie et ses secrets by Jean Nohain, Francois Caradec and Fregoli ). The poet Joan Brossa
and the painter Antoni Tàpies
made a book of artist relating to Fregoli.
He is buried in Italy with the words "His last transformation" on his gravestone.
or Fregoli syndrome is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise. The syndrome may be related to a brain lesion and is often of a paranoid nature with the delusional person believing the person they believe to be in disguise is persecuting them.
is one of the more classic followers of Fregoli's style. His extensive career covers a wide artistic range of versatility, acting, magic, Chinese shadows.
Another famous Quick change artist is the Venetian Ennio Marchetto
, who has created his own style of quick changes and impersonations. All his costumes, wigs and props are bi-dimensional and made out of cardboard and paper. His costumes transform in front of your eyes like origami folding. Also called "The Living Cartoon," Ennio has enjoyed worldwide success since his first appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1989.
Another follower was Lizzie Ramsden, billed as 'The Female Fregoli,' who appeared at Music Halls all over Britain and in America from about 1895 - 1904. Born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1867 she died in 1940 in Lambeth and is buried among the stars at Streatham Park Cemetery.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
– 26 November 1936 in Viareggio
Viareggio
Viareggio is a city and comune located in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.It is known as a seaside resort...
) was a stage star and early Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
actor.
Quick-change Artist
Fregoli was the greatest protean (quick-changeQuick-change
Quick-change is a performance style in which a performer or magician changes quickly within seconds from one costume into another costume in front of the audience.-Modern Quick-Change Artists:...
) artist of his day. He was famous for his extraordinary ability in impersonations and his quickness in exchanging roles-so much so that while he was performing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1890s unkind rumours spread that there was more than one Fregoli. He quickly quashed these rumours by inviting journalists and doubters backstage to see him at work: Fregoli had no secrets. He even went to see the host of imitators he inspired ("The Great Trickoli" and "Fregolina" were some examples) and offered them advice about how to improve their performances.
Early Professional Years
Originally an amateur entertainer, he took his first steps to professionalism while serving in the Italian army in AbyssiniaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
under General Baldissera
General Baldissera
General Baldissera is a town in Córdoba Province, Argentina. Situated in Marcos Juárez Department it has 2,133 inhabitants according to the 2001 census. It lies on Provincial Route RP E58, at 320km from the provincial capital and 530km from Buenos Aires.The area's economy is mainly based in...
in 1890. A troupe of theatrical performers the general hired to entertain his soldiers did not materialise. Fregoli offered to fill in and was an immediate success. General Baldissera subsequently had Fregoli posted, not as a soldier but as a performer, to the theatre at Massowah, which he used to entertain soldiers. Fregoli became the director and stage manager of the theatre and casino. After a year he returned to Italy and performed in Rome, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. In the audience at Florence was a government registry clerk, Ugo Biondi, who was so impressed with Fregoli's performance that he sought him out and asked for some lessons in how to follow in his footsteps. Fregoli generously complied and Biondi went on to be another great quick change artist-first claiming to be a pupil but later set up as the 'original' Fregoli.
Alfred Moul
From Italy Fregoli went to BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. While he was in Madrid he was watched in performance by Alfred Moul, the general manager of the Alhambra Theatre
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as The Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two years and reopened as the Alhambra. The building was...
in London's Charing Cross Road
Charing Cross Road
Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus and then becomes Tottenham Court Road...
(which was being refitted at that time in the Moorish style under the direction of the great designer Owen Jones
Owen Jones (architect)
Owen Jones was a London-born architect and designer of Welsh descent. He was a versatile architect and designer, and one of the most influential design theorists of the nineteenth century...
). Moul had heard of Fregoli's genius and wanted to be the first impresario in Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
to sign him up. He subsequently claimed that Fregoli (and his team of supporting assistants) were being paid £350 per week to perform at the Alhambra—a remarkable amount for the time. This was nothing compared to what Fregoli was to generate in ticket sales.
The Alhambra was scheduled to reopen early in March 1897 with the premiere of Sir Arthur Sullivan's new ballet "Victoria and Merrie England
Victoria and Merrie England
Victoria and Merrie England is an 1897 ballet by Arthur Sullivan, written to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee – a remarkable sixty years on the throne. The ballet became very popular and ran for nearly six months.-Background:...
". There were a few problems with this work (it was rather over-long in its original form) and so it was thought that for a week or two, Leopoldo Fregoli could perform (he needed little in the way of permanent sets, etc.) until Sir Arthur was satisfied his work was just right. Such was Fregoli's success that it was to be late in May of that year before the Sullivan piece was finally performed.
London
Fregoli took London by storm. He did quick fire performances, impersonating WagnerRichard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Rossini
Gioacchino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
, Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
and Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski GBE was a Polish pianist, composer, diplomat, politician, and the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.-Biography:...
one after another. He would exit stage left as a street musician and appear almost immediately stage right as a woman. Everybody—including all of the great actors and performers of the day, such as Dan Leno
Dan Leno
Dan Leno , born George Wild Galvin, was an English comedian and actor, famous for appearing in music hall and dozens of comic plays, pantomimes, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era...
—wanted to see him and his run was extended and extended, as was the seating in the theatre—not bad for someone who didn't even speak English. The general view of him was that, apart from his obvious abilities as a quick change artist he was- unlike his rivals- a consummate actor and a brilliant writer. He gave private performances for royalty and aristocrats (such as the Rothschilds, for whom he calmly explained all of his tricks). He inspired a host of imitators, male and female. Every theatre in London soon had its protean artist-even Biondi was there, performing at the same time. There were spoofers and parodists: journalists claimed tipsy theatre goers were demanding their money back when discovering that all the performers they had just watched were actually only one man.
Argentina
While there is no doubt Fregoli enjoyed himself and his success, he seems to have been essentially a modest man and he did not wish to carry on in London forever. Late in May 1897 he left for ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, promising to be back in London the following February. Whether he did so is presently unclear. Several of his performances were later filmed.
Paris and International Tours
His greatest success was in the Olympia Theatre in Paris, where he performed for more than a year. He continued to come back to Paris until 1910. He then for many years toured Italy and South America.Rather suddenly, in 1922, while performing in Niterói
Niterói
Niterói is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast region of Brazil. It has an estimated population of 487,327 inhabitants and an area of ², being the sixth most populous city in the state and the highest Human Development Index. Integrates the Metropolitan Region of Rio de...
, a city across the bay, opposite Rio de Janeiro, he decided to quit the world of quick change.
Final Years
He returned to Italy and subsequently inspired FuturistFuturism (art)
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century. It emphasized and glorified themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth and violence, and objects such as the car, the airplane and the industrial city...
theatre performers, but very little information is available about him in English. He did write an autobiography (published by Rizzoli
RCS MediaGroup
RCS MediaGroup S.p.A. , based in Milan and listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, is an international multimedia publishing group that operates in daily newspapers, magazines and books, radio broadcasting, new media and digital and satellite TV...
) and was the subject of another book (Fregoli, 1867-1936. Sa vie et ses secrets by Jean Nohain, Francois Caradec and Fregoli ). The poet Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo (Barcelona, Catalonia,(1919–1998) was a Catalan poet in the Catalan language, playwright, graphic designer and plastic artist. He was one of the founders of both the group and the publication known as Dau-al-Set (1948) and one of the...
and the painter Antoni Tàpies
Antoni Tàpies
Antoni Tàpies i Puig, 1st Marquess of Tàpies is a Catalan painter. He is one of the most famous European artists of his generation. After studying law for 3 years, he devoted himself from 1943 onwards only to his painting...
made a book of artist relating to Fregoli.
He is buried in Italy with the words "His last transformation" on his gravestone.
Fregoli Delusion
The Fregoli delusionFregoli delusion
The Fregoli delusion or the delusion of doubles is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise...
or Fregoli syndrome is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise. The syndrome may be related to a brain lesion and is often of a paranoid nature with the delusional person believing the person they believe to be in disguise is persecuting them.
Followers
The Italian magician and quick change artist Arturo BrachettiArturo Brachetti
Arturo Brachetti is an Italian quick-change artist. In the Guinness Book of Records 2006 and 2007, he is described as the fastest quick change artist in the world.-Biography:Brachetti was born in Turin...
is one of the more classic followers of Fregoli's style. His extensive career covers a wide artistic range of versatility, acting, magic, Chinese shadows.
Another famous Quick change artist is the Venetian Ennio Marchetto
Ennio Marchetto
Ennio Marchetto is an Italian comedic live entertainer whose performances feature quick-change artistry, impersonations and his trademark bi-dimensional paper costumes...
, who has created his own style of quick changes and impersonations. All his costumes, wigs and props are bi-dimensional and made out of cardboard and paper. His costumes transform in front of your eyes like origami folding. Also called "The Living Cartoon," Ennio has enjoyed worldwide success since his first appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1989.
Another follower was Lizzie Ramsden, billed as 'The Female Fregoli,' who appeared at Music Halls all over Britain and in America from about 1895 - 1904. Born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1867 she died in 1940 in Lambeth and is buried among the stars at Streatham Park Cemetery.
Further readings
- Luigi Colagreco, "Il cinema negli spettacoli di Leopoldo Fregoli" in Bianco & Nero - Bimestrale della Scuola Nazionale del Cinema, a. LXIII n. 3-4, maggio-agosto 2002, ISBN 8831779354
- Luigi Colagreco, "Scheda su Leopoldo Fregoli e il Fregoligraph" in Le arti multimediali digitali. Storie, tecniche, linguaggi, etiche ed estetiche delle arti del nuovo millennio, a cura di Anna Maria Monteverdi e Andrea Balzola, Garzanti, Milano, 2004, ISBN 8811600170
- Alex Rusconi, Fregoli - La biografia, Stampa Alternativa/Nuovi Equilibri, 2011, ISBN 9788862221801
External links
- Amilcare Foscarini, Leopoldo Fregoli: la comicità che ha fatto storia
- Arturo Brachetti's official web site
- Ennio Marchetto's official web site
- Approfondimento Luigi Colagreco, "Verso la multimedialità? Gli spettacoli di Leopoldo Fregoli fra teatro e cinema" in Ateatro - webzine di cultura teatrale, n. 29 del 15 febbraio 2002.