A clever and trickster character in Italian commedia dell'arte theater, typically a servant or zanni known for witty schemes, acrobatics, and improvised comedy.
From Italian Brighella, possibly derived from bright- (shining, clever) or from a diminutive form of a name. The character type emerged in 16th-century Italian popular theater and became standardized with distinctive costume and personality traits.
Brighella was theater's original improvisation master—actors played the same character type for decades, but each performance was completely different because commedia dell'arte actors made up their dialogue on the spot, creating a ancestor to modern improv comedy.
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