A Servant to Two Masters

A Servant to Two Masters opens at the O’Reilly Theater in Pittsburgh, PA this Thursday. It’s an old commedia dell’arte-style farce updated to modern-day Venice. “Our hilarious hero, Truffaldino, will stop at nothing to stuff his face, even if it means working for two bosses at the same time. Laughs pile on top of laughs as he tries to keep both masters happy, hook up with the delectable Smeraldina, and have his fill of fettuccini.”

To celebrate, here is the art I was commissioned to create for the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s promotional materials. The design is by my brilliant pal, Paul Schifino. We’re looking at the first rough ideas through tight sketches to final art.

Truffaldino is a Harlequin kind of character. Trying to give the impression of ‘one servant two masters’

This image not madcap enough, but the idea is there.

the title in spaghetti

Food was a big theme. Here is some floating in the canal.

No more harlequin costume—modern-day clothes, but the tie still has the harlequin pattern.

Trying to make it crazier, zanier

Here is the delectable Smeraldina

Too concepty

Venice, with canals and Piazza san Marco. Paul asked me to paint all the pieces separately so he’d have more flexibility when designing the poster, program, season brochure.

Smeraldina got moved to the left side.

More voluptuous, please!

Fine-tuning Truffaldino.

Here is Paul’s layout.

pane

formaggio

forchietta

pasta

What’s Venice without her pigeons?

pizza

vino

minestrone…

A lot of Nathan Lane in this character design.

That squid needs to be a fish.

Fish is too fat.

Sono finito!