Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte

It's good for what it is: a compilation of lazzi, or what we would call comedy bits, from the Commedia dell Arte. I wouldn't necessarily say it's “dry” but definitely academic. Many of the bits are funny when you put your imagination to it. Many are also timeless. With more than a handful I could recall the same bit on a modern sitcom. For example, “In order to fool the other characters, Fichetto pretends to talk in his sleep.” There's a great episode of I Love Lucy that uses that bit. Actually, I Love Lucy came to mind several times. This is a great resource for playwrights or scholars interested in commedia.