Answer:
Lazzi was originally the minimally scripted play of Commedia Del'Arte in early theatre. They often utilized the use of the gibberish language and were able to be understood by those of varying languages, hence the lack of a script. It was a predecessor to modern improv and often, if they were written at all, only contained basic stage directions and actions such as "Capitano and Pulicinella dance, as Zanni Zanni attempts to pickpocket them". They included the commedia characters in their performance and were often different each time you saw them in a slight way. Masks were used to portray the common character and they were often grotesque and oversized, and more than likely full-faced. Some examples of lazzi today would be many of the physical comedy bits in the three stooges, of three clueless idiots trying to make their way in life. The Capitaino character proving people wrong is a lazzi used in TV today, such as Dwight Shrute's actions towards Jim in the Office, or Sheldon's antics on Big Bang Theory. One of the biggest ones is that of the greedy boss, as seen in Mr. Krabs in Spongebob, Scrooge in Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Story" and any Hallmark movie villain ever. Nowadays, they are carried on more as tropes than lazzis, as our shows have a real script, but the origins of the early theatre still live on today.
Explanation
I hope this helps. My directors and I are big Commedia Del Arte Fans!
