Popular in Arts and Humanities

Arts and Humanities

Titus Quinctius Flamininus’ “Italian triumph”

McGill University Michael Fronda

Arts and Humanities

Lincoln and the Jews

Brandeis University Jonathan Sarna

Arts and Humanities

Amputations and Convalescence

University of Western Australia Emily Brink

Art

Drawing on the past: Palladio, his precursors and knowledge of ancient architecture

University of Birmingham David Hemsoll

Art

Language, Sound, and Image in Wallace Berman’s Aleph, 1956–1966

University of San Diego Chelsea Behle Fralick

Arts and Humanities

Early Modern Natural Law Theories

University of Copenhagen Knud Haakonssen

From Sicily to New York

View more insights in Arts and Humanities - Art - Modern Languages

View more figures from Bentley University

View the page of Alessia Dalsant

Next in Art

Redface: Race, Performance, and Indigeneity

Bethany Hughes | University of Michigan

Amputations and Convalescence

Emily Brink | University of Western Australia

Alessia Dalsant discusses Giovanni De Rosalia and Italian American Theater.

Image courtesy of interviewee. March 26, 2024

Log-in or Sign-up to Faculti
Currently viewing this subject insight as a guest. You have insight(s) remaining for this month. Login to view 8000+ figures on the platform.

Generating Workspace...

Export as PDF

Giovanni Rosalia was a Sicilian actor born in 1864 in Palermo who migrated to the United States in 1903. Initially performing classical theater, he quickly adapted to the audience's preferences by creating a popular character known as Nolu and founded his own theater company, The Rosalia and Company. He played a significant role in the vaudeville scene of New York from 1907 to 1919, blending acting, singing, and dancing in a style that catered to the Italian American community.

Rosalia's work is notable for pioneering a form of "total theater," combining various performance arts and establishing a lingua franca of English and Italian for the community. He recorded over 200 skits and poetry collections, often writing in Sicilian and contributing to local newspapers, thus influencing the regional culture and dialect theater.

His character Nolu highlighted social conflicts between different classes, paralleling themes from Italian theatrical traditions. Despite his death in 1934, Rosalia's legacy continues to resonate, impacting the development of performance art as it transitioned into a business. His methods and styles can be seen in contemporary entertainment, such as television shows like Saturday Night Live, which incorporate a variety of skits reminiscent of vaudeville.

Language:

Export as PDF

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:90000

1
00:00:00.245 --> 00:00:05.085
Giovanni Rosalia was a Sicilian actor, from Palermo.

2
00:00:05.425 --> 00:00:07.485
He was born in, 1864.

3
00:00:07.705 --> 00:00:10.525
So shortly after the unification of the Peninsula,

4
00:00:11.055 --> 00:00:13.765
which I think is, relevant, is one

5
00:00:13.765 --> 00:00:15.085
of the son of unification.

6
00:00:15.425 --> 00:00:20.045
And, in fact, he migrated to the United States shortly

7
00:00:20.055 --> 00:00:22.445
after the turn of the century in 1903.

8
00:00:23.465 --> 00:00:27.445
Um, being a professional actor already in Italy when he

9
00:00:27.445 --> 00:00:31.765
arrived in New York, he wanted to continue that profession,

10
00:00:32.545 --> 00:00:36.285
and he, initially started to perform,

11
00:00:36.565 --> 00:00:38.845
a classical repertoire, such as,

12
00:00:38.845 --> 00:00:40.125
Shakespeare, so to speak, right?

13
00:00:40.705 --> 00:00:44.805
Uh, but immediately realized that, the audience was not

14
00:00:45.335 --> 00:00:47.925
going to sign up for that type of theater.

15
00:00:48.825 --> 00:00:53.605
And therefore, he, decided to create a,

16
00:00:53.755 --> 00:00:58.045
character that, became very, very famous in the

17
00:00:58.825 --> 00:01:00.685
New York of the first 20 years

18
00:01:00.685 --> 00:01:01.765
of the turn of the last century.

19
00:01:02.825 --> 00:01:07.165
And, he actually ended up founding his own,

20
00:01:07.235 --> 00:01:10.125
theater company called The Rosalia and Company.

21
00:01:11.345 --> 00:01:14.725
Um, between, 1907

22
00:01:14.905 --> 00:01:18.805
and 1919, he staged Norio this character,

23
00:01:18.985 --> 00:01:23.325
weekly in the vaudeville scene of New York, so acting

24
00:01:23.465 --> 00:01:26.245
and, lower East Side on Brooklyn Theaters.

25
00:01:27.245 --> 00:01:29.945
Uh, but then eventually he started to

26
00:01:31.265 --> 00:01:32.785
actually record the ski

27
00:01:33.685 --> 00:01:34.865
and,

28
00:01:35.005 --> 00:01:38.385
for major label companies like Victor Okie Kelian.

29
00:01:39.205 --> 00:01:40.385
And then at some point,

30
00:01:40.385 --> 00:01:42.745
eventually he created his own label company

31
00:01:43.405 --> 00:01:44.985
and distributed worldwide.

32
00:01:45.565 --> 00:01:50.505
So, I was particularly intrigued by this,

33
00:01:50.525 --> 00:01:53.825
figure that is, quite,

34
00:01:55.255 --> 00:01:58.985
unknown, because of different reasons.

35
00:01:59.015 --> 00:02:03.945
Well, first of all, he's a pioneer of what we define,

36
00:02:04.125 --> 00:02:07.305
total theater, a type of theater

37
00:02:07.375 --> 00:02:11.705
that implies not only acting, but also singing,

38
00:02:12.485 --> 00:02:14.385
and, dancing, right?

39
00:02:14.685 --> 00:02:16.185
And it's like a precursor

40
00:02:16.245 --> 00:02:18.665
of the variety shows today, if you want.

41
00:02:19.485 --> 00:02:23.465
And more specifically for the Italian American community.

42
00:02:24.245 --> 00:02:26.065
Um, his work in,

43
00:02:27.905 --> 00:02:32.655
let's say establishing, which is a mixture

44
00:02:32.655 --> 00:02:37.015
of English and Italian, if you want, as a lingua franca

45
00:02:37.015 --> 00:02:38.975
for the Italian American community at the time,

46
00:02:39.655 --> 00:02:44.015
I think has a, as importance that should be mentioned.

47
00:02:44.955 --> 00:02:46.735
Um, ultimately is also

48
00:02:47.405 --> 00:02:51.015
because of his, type of theater

49
00:02:51.085 --> 00:02:54.575
that is ultimately in, in Sicilian as well, right?

50
00:02:54.715 --> 00:02:58.615
He is, considered a representative of the ci

51
00:02:58.615 --> 00:03:00.005
Juliana York, right?

52
00:03:00.145 --> 00:03:03.925
So the, the type of theater that, is done in,

53
00:03:03.925 --> 00:03:05.205
in dialect.

54
00:03:05.895 --> 00:03:07.525
Maybe I'd like to step back a second

55
00:03:07.545 --> 00:03:10.725
and talk to you about the vaudeville scene in New York at

56
00:03:10.725 --> 00:03:11.965
the time,

57
00:03:11.965 --> 00:03:13.605
because that's where everything

58
00:03:13.835 --> 00:03:15.605
that the Rosalia does develops.

59
00:03:16.185 --> 00:03:20.165
Um, vaudeville is a term that actually comes from France.

60
00:03:20.585 --> 00:03:24.445
Uh, so the voice of, of the, the city,

61
00:03:25.105 --> 00:03:28.845
and even in France when he, originated,

62
00:03:29.065 --> 00:03:31.565
it was a type of theater that combined comedy

63
00:03:31.745 --> 00:03:35.485
and music when it arrived into the United States in the

64
00:03:35.765 --> 00:03:38.445
1880s, it flourished.

65
00:03:38.465 --> 00:03:42.405
It became very, popular as a type of performance

66
00:03:43.015 --> 00:03:44.325
throughout the United States.

67
00:03:44.385 --> 00:03:46.325
Not only New York, but obviously in,

68
00:03:47.415 --> 00:03:48.925
urban centers like New York

69
00:03:49.025 --> 00:03:52.005
or centers of, that gathered a lot of migrant.

70
00:03:53.265 --> 00:03:57.165
Um, the vaudeville scene became a fertile ground for

71
00:03:57.165 --> 00:04:00.925
what we call, dialect theater, right,

72
00:04:00.925 --> 00:04:02.485
or ethnic theater if you want.

73
00:04:03.425 --> 00:04:06.925
Um, which was very ethnographic based.

74
00:04:07.225 --> 00:04:11.565
And of course, each ethnic group produced it on stage types.

75
00:04:11.785 --> 00:04:13.405
So it was the Irish, right?

76
00:04:13.405 --> 00:04:16.245
It was the Italian, the Jew, so the Rosalia

77
00:04:16.585 --> 00:04:18.005
and others before him.

78
00:04:18.025 --> 00:04:21.485
The Rosalia is not the only representative of this,

79
00:04:21.555 --> 00:04:22.685
type of theater at the time.

80
00:04:22.705 --> 00:04:27.445
Before him, Eduardo Milcho had also created a,

81
00:04:28.095 --> 00:04:31.285
stage character called, far similar

82
00:04:31.505 --> 00:04:33.405
to the Napolitan Ella.

83
00:04:33.785 --> 00:04:35.885
If you're familiar with the com Dete

84
00:04:37.165 --> 00:04:39.005
Fri is a different kind of character.

85
00:04:39.005 --> 00:04:42.285
It is more of a buffon, clownish,

86
00:04:43.785 --> 00:04:48.245
and is per personify is more the wannabe American

87
00:04:48.475 --> 00:04:51.445
that also has the arrogance of actually having arrived.

88
00:04:51.545 --> 00:04:53.525
So it kind of produces that distance.

89
00:04:54.385 --> 00:04:57.645
But ultimately is the, per the character that produces humor

90
00:04:57.645 --> 00:05:01.005
because it's always, radicalized.

91
00:05:02.225 --> 00:05:07.005
Um, so in particular the rosalia,

92
00:05:07.105 --> 00:05:10.445
skits and forces, as I mentioned

93
00:05:10.445 --> 00:05:14.485
before, they implement the use of, so they're ual, really.

94
00:05:14.485 --> 00:05:18.885
They, you, you hear Italian, Sicilian, English,

95
00:05:19.345 --> 00:05:21.825
and then this mixture of,

96
00:05:22.885 --> 00:05:24.625
of a new language, so to speak, right?

97
00:05:24.685 --> 00:05:29.345
So, I think that, yeah, that, that's very interesting.

98
00:05:29.365 --> 00:05:33.925
In his, forces, the Rosalia produced,

99
00:05:34.975 --> 00:05:36.885
begin with poetry actually sold,

100
00:05:36.885 --> 00:05:39.525
he produced three collections of poetry,

101
00:05:39.805 --> 00:05:43.325
recorded the Brandis in the ano in, 1916,

102
00:05:44.185 --> 00:05:47.045
and Ian in 1923,

103
00:05:47.065 --> 00:05:49.405
before that, Aina versus Juliana.

104
00:05:49.405 --> 00:05:52.925
So they're all, is a, is an author that is very attached

105
00:05:52.925 --> 00:05:56.365
to his land and his culture, regional culture.

106
00:05:56.705 --> 00:06:00.125
And so he writes, profusely in Sicilian.

107
00:06:00.945 --> 00:06:04.885
Um, he also writes on the local newspaper regularly,

108
00:06:05.425 --> 00:06:09.845
the e telephone newspaper of New York, namely La f New York,

109
00:06:10.185 --> 00:06:12.845
and, Americano,

110
00:06:13.185 --> 00:06:17.045
and also his kids are often, published there.

111
00:06:18.105 --> 00:06:22.965
And, once he started to record his skits,

112
00:06:23.145 --> 00:06:27.565
on ils, well, he ultimately recorded more than 200.

113
00:06:28.305 --> 00:06:30.645
So there is a large production that is,

114
00:06:30.995 --> 00:06:33.405
however hard to, reach

115
00:06:33.405 --> 00:06:37.245
because a lot, belongs to private collections, and

116
00:06:37.275 --> 00:06:40.825
therefore it's not so immediate to find.

117
00:06:41.885 --> 00:06:45.945
Um, but for what concerns his character Nolu?

118
00:06:46.605 --> 00:06:50.305
Um, I believe that, the genius

119
00:06:50.405 --> 00:06:55.265
of Rosa Rosalia resides in the fact that he, is able

120
00:06:55.265 --> 00:06:59.385
to combine two popular theatrical tradition,

121
00:06:59.385 --> 00:07:03.545
Italian theatrical traditions, one being,

122
00:07:05.325 --> 00:07:06.585
which is the,

123
00:07:07.335 --> 00:07:10.065
longing tradition coming from the Renaissance that was very,

124
00:07:10.605 --> 00:07:13.785
popular all over Italy and Europe for that matter.

125
00:07:14.365 --> 00:07:16.385
Um, but,

126
00:07:16.445 --> 00:07:19.865
and also another, regional,

127
00:07:19.925 --> 00:07:22.145
or regional tradition, which is called Baa,

128
00:07:22.285 --> 00:07:25.505
is is typical Sicilian, type of,

129
00:07:25.525 --> 00:07:27.465
theater.

130
00:07:28.005 --> 00:07:30.705
And actually when, committed the largest story

131
00:07:30.705 --> 00:07:34.945
to vain in Sicily, Vata became more and more popular.

132
00:07:35.885 --> 00:07:38.545
Uh, it's emblematic that one of the main character

133
00:07:38.545 --> 00:07:41.985
of Vata was named Rio or Norio.

134
00:07:42.245 --> 00:07:44.625
So there is a clear connection

135
00:07:44.645 --> 00:07:46.225
for the Rosalia recall at least.

136
00:07:46.445 --> 00:07:51.425
Um, so that character, Vata,

137
00:07:51.655 --> 00:07:53.945
were interesting because they, they,

138
00:07:54.055 --> 00:07:56.185
juxtapose social conflict, right?

139
00:07:56.285 --> 00:07:59.345
So the higher class represented by the Baron Lubar

140
00:07:59.565 --> 00:08:03.105
who spoke Italian, and the lower class represented by Nafi,

141
00:08:03.105 --> 00:08:04.105
who spoke Sicilian.

142
00:08:04.525 --> 00:08:08.705
And what I think the Rosalia does is transplant this same

143
00:08:08.705 --> 00:08:13.345
dynamic into the new world now, where the,

144
00:08:13.605 --> 00:08:15.505
the character who fit in are the one

145
00:08:15.505 --> 00:08:17.825
who even speak the language English.

146
00:08:17.825 --> 00:08:20.065
They own it, they master it, they are familiar

147
00:08:20.065 --> 00:08:22.425
with modernity, and then there are those

148
00:08:22.425 --> 00:08:23.545
who are newly arrived,

149
00:08:23.885 --> 00:08:27.705
or those like Nole who is constantly struggling to

150
00:08:28.495 --> 00:08:32.305
make sense of the new reality, or he think he does well.

151
00:08:32.325 --> 00:08:36.145
His legacy, I feel, is, well,

152
00:08:36.565 --> 00:08:39.225
the character percent norio disappeared once,

153
00:08:39.245 --> 00:08:41.345
the Rosalia died in 1934.

154
00:08:42.245 --> 00:08:43.545
So,

155
00:08:44.255 --> 00:08:48.585
however, if we look at the,

156
00:08:49.495 --> 00:08:53.545
seen of the 1920s, the development of,

157
00:08:53.635 --> 00:08:54.865
there is even a shift

158
00:08:55.145 --> 00:08:58.965
In the concept of performing from the, the art

159
00:08:58.965 --> 00:09:01.565
of performance to the business of performance.

160
00:09:01.585 --> 00:09:05.285
So the Rosalia lives in this moment where,

161
00:09:06.215 --> 00:09:08.725
performing arts become a business, right?

162
00:09:08.925 --> 00:09:10.685
A business that implies different skills

163
00:09:10.825 --> 00:09:13.365
and different acts as well, right?

164
00:09:13.425 --> 00:09:17.805
And the Vaudeville, a show was comprised of like two

165
00:09:17.805 --> 00:09:19.845
or four hours of different acts.

166
00:09:20.705 --> 00:09:22.405
Um, and I think that we see

167
00:09:23.225 --> 00:09:25.405
how this has affected even television.

168
00:09:25.405 --> 00:09:26.765
As a matter of fact, silent movies

169
00:09:26.905 --> 00:09:30.805
or at the beginning started to insert the most comic,

170
00:09:31.855 --> 00:09:33.285
skits of vaudeville, right?

171
00:09:33.545 --> 00:09:35.045
So, but even tv

172
00:09:35.425 --> 00:09:37.925
or even if you look at the Saturday Night

173
00:09:37.925 --> 00:09:39.165
Live show today, right?

174
00:09:39.315 --> 00:09:42.685
That, comprise different skits

175
00:09:42.865 --> 00:09:46.045
and satire, the suburban of roles.

176
00:09:46.885 --> 00:09:48.765
I think that it's, that's

177
00:09:48.765 --> 00:09:50.685
where we see the Rosalie's work.

Giovanni Rosalia: Pioneer of Sicilian-American Theatre

00:00:00 - Giovanni Rosalia was a Sicilian actor, from Palermo. He was born in, 1864. So shortly after the unification of the Peninsula, which I think is, relevant, is one of the son of unification. And, in fact, he migrated to the United States shortly after the turn of the century in 1903. being a professional actor already in Italy when he arrived in New York, he wanted to continue that profession,
00:00:36 - a classical repertoire, such as, Shakespeare, so to speak, right? but immediately realized that, the audience was not going to sign up for that type of theater. And therefore, he, decided to create a, character that, became very, very famous in the New York of the first 20 years of the turn of the last century.
00:01:07 - theater company called The Rosalia and Company. between, 1907 and 1919, he staged Norio this character, weekly in the vaudeville scene of New York, so acting and, lower East Side on Brooklyn Theaters. but then eventually he started to actually record the ski
00:01:35 - for major label companies like Victor Okie Kelian. And then at some point, eventually he created his own label company and distributed worldwide. So, I was particularly intrigued by this, figure that is, quite, unknown, because of different reasons. Well, first of all, he's a pioneer of what we define,
00:02:07 - that implies not only acting, but also singing, and, dancing, right? And it's like a precursor of the variety shows today, if you want. And more specifically for the Italian American community. his work in, let's say establishing, which is a mixture of English and Italian, if you want, as a lingua franca
00:02:39 - I think has a, as importance that should be mentioned. ultimately is also because of his, type of theater that is ultimately in, in Sicilian as well, right? He is, considered a representative of the ci Juliana York, right? So the, the type of theater that, is done in, in dialect. Maybe I'd like to step back a second

Vaudeville and Ethnic Theater's Evolution

00:03:10 - the time, because that's where everything that the Rosalia does develops. vaudeville is a term that actually comes from France. so the voice of, of the, the city, and even in France when he, originated, it was a type of theater that combined comedy and music when it arrived into the United States in the 1880s, it flourished.
00:03:43 - throughout the United States. Not only New York, but obviously in, urban centers like New York or centers of, that gathered a lot of migrant. the vaudeville scene became a fertile ground for what we call, dialect theater, right, or ethnic theater if you want. which was very ethnographic based. And of course, each ethnic group produced it on stage types.
00:04:13 - It was the Italian, the Jew, so the Rosalia and others before him. The Rosalia is not the only representative of this, type of theater at the time. Before him, Eduardo Milcho had also created a, stage character called, far similar to the Napolitan Ella. If you're familiar with the com Dete Fri is a different kind of character. It is more of a buffon, clownish,
00:04:48 - that also has the arrogance of actually having arrived. So it kind of produces that distance. But ultimately is the, per the character that produces humor because it's always, radicalized. so in particular the rosalia, skits and forces, as I mentioned before, they implement the use of, so they're ual, really.
00:05:19 - and then this mixture of, of a new language, so to speak, right? So, I think that, yeah, that, that's very interesting. In his, forces, the Rosalia produced, begin with poetry actually sold, he produced three collections of poetry, recorded the Brandis in the ano in, 1916, and Ian in 1923,
00:05:49 - So they're all, is a, is an author that is very attached to his land and his culture, regional culture. And so he writes, profusely in Sicilian. he also writes on the local newspaper regularly, the e telephone newspaper of New York, namely La f New York, and, Americano, and also his kids are often, published there.

Giovanni Rosalia: Pioneer of Italian-American Theater

00:06:23 - on ils, well, he ultimately recorded more than 200. So there is a large production that is, however hard to, reach because a lot, belongs to private collections, and therefore it's not so immediate to find. but for what concerns his character Nolu? I believe that, the genius
00:06:55 - to combine two popular theatrical tradition, Italian theatrical traditions, one being, which is the, longing tradition coming from the Renaissance that was very, popular all over Italy and Europe for that matter. but, and also another, regional, or regional tradition, which is called Baa,
00:07:25 - theater. And actually when, committed the largest story to vain in Sicily, Vata became more and more popular. it's emblematic that one of the main character of Vata was named Rio or Norio. So there is a clear connection for the Rosalia recall at least. so that character, Vata, were interesting because they, they,
00:07:56 - So the higher class represented by the Baron Lubar who spoke Italian, and the lower class represented by Nafi, who spoke Sicilian. And what I think the Rosalia does is transplant this same dynamic into the new world now, where the, the character who fit in are the one who even speak the language English. They own it, they master it, they are familiar with modernity, and then there are those who are newly arrived, or those like Nole who is constantly struggling to
00:08:32 - His legacy, I feel, is, well, the character percent norio disappeared once, the Rosalia died in 1934. So, however, if we look at the, seen of the 1920s, the development of, there is even a shift In the concept of performing from the, the art
00:09:01 - So the Rosalia lives in this moment where, performing arts become a business, right? A business that implies different skills and different acts as well, right? And the Vaudeville, a show was comprised of like two or four hours of different acts. and I think that we see how this has affected even television. As a matter of fact, silent movies or at the beginning started to insert the most comic,

Legacy of Rosalia in Modern Entertainment

00:09:48 - So, but even tv or even if you look at the Saturday Night Live show today, right? That, comprise different skits and satire, the suburban of roles. I think that it's, that's where we see the Rosalie's work.

Faculti AI can make mistakes

Faculti

Popular in Arts and Humanities

Titus Quinctius Flamininus’ “Italian triumph”

Lincoln and the Jews

Post-Kantian perfectionism

Amputations and Convalescence

Drawing on the past: Palladio, his precursors and knowledge of ancient architecture

Language, Sound, and Image in Wallace Berman’s Aleph, 1956–1966

Early Modern Natural Law Theories

From Sicily to New York

Next in Art

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Page Structure

Popular in Arts and Humanities

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Accessibility Options

Contrast Adjustment

Text Size Adjustment

Text Spacing Adjustment

Line Height Adjustment

Cursor Size Adjustment

Page Structure Options

Page Structure