The influence of Madrid comedians on Spanish culture in the 1860s-1880s

The paper examines the significance of the group of comedians led by F. Arderíus (Los bufos madrileños) for Spanish culture in the second half of the 19th century and the formation of a new type of the zarzuela as a genre of musical theater. The scientific novelty lies in the formulation of the research aim and research tasks within domestic science, as there is no single source on the topic in Russian-language literature. The author aims to generalize the contribution of the comedians to the development of the Spanish buffoonery genre. As a result of the research, it becomes possible to trace the evolution of the genre on Spanish soil and conclude that there is a significant resemblance to the “small zarzuela”. The popularity of the comedians’ performances contributed to the rapid flourishing of the chico genre in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.