Picasso’s Saltimbanques

Ira Seidenstein

05/06/2026

“Harlequin Dreams” was one of my Clown Theatre experiments. The whole show is 43 minutes and is on a link below.

It was one of my semi-autobiographic shows.

I came to be Harlequin via a basic commercial gig. The company hiring me was Compaq. They were about to launch their first laptop. Following close on their main competitor IBM. IBM used an image of Charlie Chaplin to promote their first laptop. Compaq was going to launch their laptop Downunder in three cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland. They had a set constructed and the Australian CEO was to make a brief presentation then I was to join him we did a few tricks together and then the crescendo was about 6 laptops on pedestools rising from the steps of the set.

About a year later I wanted to place Harlequin at the end of another of my theatre experiments named “The Male Adorned Bride“. I phoned to the advertising agency that made and owned the Harlequin costume. I asked if I could borrow or rent the costume for the short season of “The Male Adored Bride“. They said I could have and keep the costume.

From that point when I had the occasional gig as an entertainer/clown I went as Harlequin. As the show below Harlequin Dreams tells and shows, Harlequin is different than Arlecchino. Arlecchino is distinctly from Italy (Bergamo) and the Commedia dell’Arte. Harlequin is derived from Arlecchino and was used in English Pantomime; Ballet; Circus; and Copenhagen’s Tivoli Pantomime Theatre. The French and other countries also used the balletic form Harlequin rather than Arlecchino. Unless they were doing Commedia dell’Arte. The French name of Arlecchino and Harlequin is Arlequin.

As you will see Harlequin Dreams is a Trilogy lasting about 43 minutes. The middle section is when Harlequin, i.e. myself as Harlequin tells the tales of 4 actual dreams that I had and the actual followup story to each dream.

In one of those dreams I dreamt of actual saltimbanques. The word salti means somersault/flip; and banque/banco is a bench. The traveling players could perform at banquets or in plazas simply atop benches with a door or planks set atop and used as a raised stage. A ‘saltimbanque’ became used to mean ‘a traveling player’. My dream included such a raised stage.

My dream was located at Sydney’s Bondi Pavillion which was and is one of my favorite theatres in the world. Before that dream I had already performed and/or directed four different shows in the Bondi Pavillion Theatre.

The theatre is on the 2nd floor and holds about 200 people in raised seating with the ceiling/roof exposed wooden beams. I performed and created a few shows there. Long ago.

In many ways, part of my portrayal, interest, and inspiration is directly from Picasso’s Saltimbanques paintings and drawings. Here are of those paintings. Picasso painted more Harlequins. However the slide show below is of the exhibition currently on display at The Queensland State Art Gallery is focused on the Gallery’s very fine collection of Picasso’s drawings for his Saltimbanque study. Included in the exhibtion and the slide show are many wonderful descriptions.

Saltimbanco was a Cirque du Soleil show that toured from 1992 to 2012. In 2011 taught 20 workshops for the members and teams within the ensemble.

Here is a slide show of The Queensland State Art Gallery’s collection and exhibtion of “Picasso’s Saltimbanques”. To read the descriptions just press pause.

https://www.icloud.com/photos/#/albums/a,7670C82F-162F-41EF-8226-041685AB2E39