A theatrical performance featuring the character Harlequin and other stock characters, often including slapstick comedy and pantomime.
From French harlequinade, combining harlequin (from Italian arlecchino, a stock commedia dell'arte character) and -ade (a suffix indicating action or performance). The character's origins trace to Italian theater traditions.
Harlequin was the ultimate trickster character of Renaissance Italian theater who wore a patchwork costume—and his quick wit and clever schemes were so popular they literally created an entire genre of theater named after him that spread across Europe.
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