Harlequin Valentine
Harlequin Valentine is a bloody and romantic short story (1999) and graphic novel (2001) based on the old Commedia dell'arte and Harlequinade pantomime.
Both the short story and the graphic novel were written by
Overview
The story takes place on February 14 with the
The story includes many of the classic characters from the Harlequinade in modern forms. Most obviously is Harlequin and his sought-after love Columbina, who is named Missy in this modern version. Pantaloon, the third person in the love triangle, also exists here in full.
The artwork is a mixture of digitally enhanced photographs overlaid with painting. This serves the story very well as the fantastic Harlequin follows and interacts with the sensible Missy in her normal world. The backgrounds are made very drab, compared to the colorful characters which almost vibrate on top of them.
At the back of the book is Gaiman's essay, "Notes on a Harlequinade", which tells us a little about the old harlequin stories of the Italian Commedia dell'arte and the English Harlequinade.
Stage adaptation
A stage adaptation of this graphic novel has been produced by Metatron's Men (Polish: Słudzy Metatrona) group made of members of Śląski Klub Fantastyki (Polish: Silesian Science Fiction Club), starring Jakub Ćwiek as the harlequin and Klaudia Heintze as Missy.
See also
- The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Gaiman, another old pantomime rewritten for modern times.
External links
- A Rare Gift: Harlequin Valentine by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton - review by Erin Donahoe
- Harlequin Valentine - review by Mary Harvey
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