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In Act 1, Scene 12 of ‘A Servant to Two Masters’, Truffaldino is faced with the challenge of serving his two masters (Beatrice and Florindo) food, without making them aware of each other’s existence.  The scene is pivotal in demonstrating the practical struggles of Truffaldino having two masters; it is the first time the two masters are seen at once on stage, separately interacting with Truffaldino. The fast pace of the scene aids the actor playing Truffaldino in demonstrating the practical difficulties he has, to great comedic effect. If I were directing the scene, I would use to create typically commedia dell’arte humour, specifically through use of: ‘comedy of manners’, by creating humour based on the mocking of restaurant etiquette; bawdy humour, by using the names and appearances of foodstuffs to create humour, and buffoonery - slapstick humour that relied on exaggerated and comic physical gesture and movement. The scene mostly serves as comic relief, befitting the firmly comedic style of commedia dell’arte. However, it does also conform to Goldoni’s dramatic intention of bringing an emotional depth to his commedia play; by fulfilling Truffaldino’s (the commedia Harlequin) objective of looking for something to eat, Goldoni rounds off a story-line, allowing the audience’s primary focus to be on the plot of the lovers.

At the beginning of the scene, where the First Waiter is instructing Truffaldino on what foods to bring out, I would concentrate on portraying comedy of manners. I would direct the actor playing the First Waiter to appear as a caricatured, over-the-top maitre’d. I would have him stand rod-straight with his feet together, and hold his body in a very tense, formal manner, making his movements seem deliberate and hyperbolic. I would have him point his nose up in the air and turn down the corners of mouth in a stereotypically ‘snobby’ pose. I would have him say the line ‘That’s your charcuterie’ with an animated tone and a loud dynamic, giving it an air of theatricality. I would pause just before the word ‘charcuterie’ to put emphasis on it; I would then say it in a pretentiously hyperbolic French accent. In the hand not carrying the dish (as per stage direction), I would waft my hand indirectly and laxly in circular movements; another movement to indicate the snobbishness of the character. Truffaldino would then show his confusion to comic effect. I would have him deeply furrow his brow to look confused, and cock his head to one and scratch it. I would have him mouth the word ‘characuterie’ in a dumbstruck manner, looking at the audience, then quickly turn to the First Waiter and say, ‘I beg your pardon?’, sounding confused and adopting a high-rising intonation to sound questioning. I would then have the First Waiter relax his posture, bringing his shoulders down and relaxing his face to a neutral position. I would then have him whisper the line ‘Your meat plate, mate’ in a much more informal, ‘cockney’ accent, perhaps jovially nudging Truffaldino on the arm on the word ‘meat’. The difference between the First Waiters first, pretentious line, and his second, more ‘cockney’ line would create comedy, as it conforms to comedy of manners; the first line mocked the pretentious ways of restaurant etiquette. 

Sources: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=servant+to+two+masters&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=613&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjksJnZy5_SAhVFcRQKHd3-AEQQ_AUIBygC&dpr=1#imgrc=eg97ui2nuwOWEM: