Bip, the white faced sad eyed clown wearing a stovepipe hat and carrying a red flower is the first image most of us see when thinking of Marcel Marceau. Bip was only one of the many characters that Marceau developed during his 50+ year career. Michael Jackson's moonwalk was "borrowed" from Marceau's walking against the wind routine, but the routine that always sticks in my mind was The Mask. No, not the Jim Carey movie, a simple routine where the mime finds 2 masks similiar to the comedy and tragedy masks used to represent acting. He tries them on, one at a time, switching quickly from the comedic grin to the tragic frown. The switching gets faster and funnier until suddenly the comic mask is stuck and he can't pry it from his face. At first the mime is amused, then annoyed, soon he gets frustrated, The frustration gives way to anger and the anger to despair. Somehow, Marceau was able to convey all of these emotions without a single word, while his face continued to wear the absurd comic grin. His mouth smiled, while every other muscle in his body cried. It was incredible to watch. Seeing him perform on stage was miles beyond seeing him on television. Even the televised performances were lightyears away from the obnoxious street mimes who have made the art of mime the object of ridicule. He was truly the master of his craft.
In his memory, mimes everywhere will be observing a 60 second moment of conversation . ....... Sorry I just couldn't resist.
