Thursday, February 26, 1998
Mime master Marceau silently returns to steal show
MIIME: Performer famous for role of BIP, will grace the L.A.
stage once again
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
Marcel Marceau once said, "Never get a mime talking. He won’t
stop." But the world’s most famous mime for 50 years is sitting
down to talk, to promote his return appearance to Los Angeles this
Saturday night and to reflect on his long and incredibly successful
career.
Marceau is widely regarded today as the master of modern mime
who brought the ancient art into the mainstream consciousness with
sold-out performances around the world and frequent television and
movie appearances. But after his last performance in Los Angeles in
1989, Marceau’s popularity and name diminished a bit in the ’90s
since the only way for people to appreciate the mime was to see him
perform.
Nearly a decade later, Marceau is returning to Los Angeles for a
one-night show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his most
popular pantomime character, BIP. In this rare appearance, Marceau
will perform some of his most classic "mimodramas" from his
repertoire. With nearly half a century of performing under his
belt, Marceau takes his pioneering role in the world of pantomime
very seriously.
"I think I was born to be a mime like one is born to be a
painter or musician," Marceau says. "I’m responsible for the
renaissance of this art in the 20th century and in two years, I’m
going to handle the 21st century and I predict that mime will
become a strong force in the theater."
Despite the fact that his name may not be as well known as it
used to be, Marceau is very confident that once people see his
show, they will be just as enthusiastic and responsive as his
audiences have been in the past. He believes that although times
have changed since the first time he performed in America in 1955,
people are moved and inspired by good performances.
"Man has not changed," Marceau says. "We have changed with
technology and communication, but in our real hearts, man has not
changed since the Romans. We could always laugh and cry for the
same reasons. The emotions are always there. If the show is good,
it touches the public."
Born in France, Marceau began his career in 1946 when he joined
the Charles Dullin’s School of Dramatic Art in Paris and studied
under mime master Etienne Decroux. After studying and performing
with some of the most influential pantomime artists in France,
Marceau emerged into immense popularity after creating his now
legendary character, BIP, the silent actor and clown. He named his
famous opera hat-wearing character after the main character in
Charles Dickens’ novel, "Great Expectations."
"When I was 20, I had great expectations so BIP comes from Pip
and I changed the ‘P’ to a ‘B,’" Marceau says. "I was a great
admirer of Charles Dickens."
After BIP became such a popular character, Marceau started
touring worldwide, bringing his mimodramas to many stages,
introducing people to a performing art that had little exposure
before. His first American tour in 1955 caught the attention of
many people in Hollywood, which was a thrill for the artist who
grew up idolizing American actors like Charlie Chaplin, Buster
Keaton and Laurel and Hardy. He explains that although these silent
stars were labeled as movie actors, their work is derived from
pantomime.
"I was inspired by them when I was a child," Marceau says. "They
were mimes. The talkies did not exist, so, it was slapstick and
pantomime. Mime was a very strong art form in movies then."
As for his instant success in America, Marceau credits it to the
fact that most people had been unfamiliar with pantomime and were
fascinated with how different it was from the usual singing and
dancing they had seen before on the stage.
"The difference between mime from dance is that in dance, you
are bound by music and movement," Marceau says. "Mime is bound by
silence. We use music too, but our gestures are not bound by
musical form. We express comedy and tragedy of man without words.
You have to be an actor to be a mime."
Now Marceau’s puts his expertise in modern mime to use in his
Paris International School of Mimedrama where students come from
over 20 nations to study with the renowned artist. He hopes that
with his school, he can turn on future generations to the beauty of
silent acting.
"Since I brought mime to America, there have been good mimes and
bad mimes," Marceau says. "There are many students who worked with
me and it is now a stronger art form. When I started for the first
time, it was so new, but now everybody knows Marcel Marceau."
And even though Marceau has been entertaining audiences with the
antics of BIP for almost 50 years, he has no plans to stop touring
and teaching his craft. And although he is over 70 years old, he
proudly boasts that he still maintains the spirit and body of his
youth.
"You must understand that you are all obsessed by age," Marceau
says. "Everybody’s obsessed by age. I have kept the same body of 30
years ago. When you see the show in Los Angeles, you will see that
I speak the truth."
Marceau is excited about bringing his unique program to Los
Angeles and introducing future generations to this older art of
pantomime.
"I’m sure the young people will be moved," Marceau says. "It
raises their imagination and it is wonderful. They have discovered
exactly why their parents told them they should see Marcel
Marceau.
"Have I become a legend? It’s possible. The young people who
have never seen my work (before) are speechless. It’s a discovery
for them and there’s the same excitement that was there when I
first arrived in America. It’s a wonderful thrill for me. It’s very
good to come back."
PANTOMIME: Marcel Marceau performs Saturday at 8 p.m. at the
Wiltern Theatre. Tickets are $30 to $50. For more information, call
(213) 380-5005.