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Marceau's silent adieu
"He
remains the unquestioned master of the art that
dare not speak its name. That's his strength and
the art's weakness." Bip has become Marcel Marceau's
alter ego. For more than 50
years he has remained one of the world's most
popular entertainers and at 80 his body is still
lithe and flexible, though his hearing is
failing. Marcel Marceau will
perform in Perth in November, probably for the last
time. Stand in front of
the Pompidou Centre in Paris and you see any number
of Marceau re-creations and devoted disciples. But
there is, as Marceau himself has said, "only one
Marceau". Born Marcel Mangel
in Strasbourg, France, in 1923, he came from a
lively and artistic Jewish family. He changed his
name to the patriotic Marceau (a famous general in
the French Revolution) to hide his Jewish origins
during World War II. There is "only one Marceau". Marcel tried to
pursue his dream of being an actor, but his
excellent English found him recruited as a liaison
officer with Patton's army. After the war,
Marceau learnt mime from the renowned Etienne
Decroux. It was only a small part of his theatre
training but it captivated Marceau and, inspired by
silent screen artists Charlie Chaplin, Buster
Keaton, Harry Langdon, Stan Laurel and Oliver
Hardy, he began to develop his own popular
style. His invention of
"mimodramas", regarded as the beginning of modern
mime, signalled the end of his friendship with
Decroux, who declared that Marceau had cheapened
the "science" of mime. In 1947, Marceau
created Bip, modelled on Chaplin's Little Tramp.
Bip was the underdog, a melancholy sad-sack in a
striped shirt, white sailor pants, and a top hat
with a single red flower sprouting from the lid. He
became Marceau's signature alter ego. In 1949, Marceau
formed the Compagnie de Mime Marcel Marceau - then
the only mime company in the world - to produce his
mimodramas. One critic
declared: "He accomplishes in less than two minutes
what most novelists cannot do in
volumes." His first foray
into American television won him an Emmy
award. He became a regular
TV guest star, had his own show called Meet Marcel
Marceau and made several appearances in feature
films, including First Class, Shanks and Silent
Movie. Since 1999, when he
took his solo show to New York and San Francisco
after a 15-year absence, his career has enjoyed a
remarkable renaissance with a new generation of
fans. His "au revoir"
performances are at the Regal Theatre on Friday,
November 7, at 8pm and Saturday, November 8, at 2pm
and 8pm. Bookings are through BOCS. Ball
could bring perfect match On November 1, Tentland at Ascot Racecourse will
be transformed into a festival of fun, frivolity,
fashion and flirting as the Capri Cocktails d&d
ball, formerly known as the Desperate &
Dateless ball, hits Perth on its national tour. For the past 12 years, the iconic d&d Ball
has been run by the Australian Red Cross, this year
Empire Productions has taken and revamped the
event. Marketing manager Sarah Sproule said: "It's
definitely not about being desperate or dateless
anymore. It's about having some tongue-in-cheek fun
at a massive party where guys and girls can dress
up, get down and party with some of Australia's top
entertainers -- and maybe even get lucky!" Entertainment this year includes Disco Montego,
The Androids, Molly Meldrum and DJ Dan Stinton, and
the host is singles "guru" Greg Evans. Proceeds from the raffle of a His and Hers Honda
scooter package will go to Variety - The Children's
Charity. Tickets are $99 and include a drink card to the
value of $55, cocktail food and entry to parties
before and after the ball. Bookings can be made by phoning 13 28 49 or
online at www.danddball.com.au Don't be desperate or dateless! POST Newspapers
has two double passes to give away for the Capri
Cocktail d&d Ball on November 1. If you would like to win a double pass to the
party event of the year, send in an envelope with
your name, address and daytime phone on the back
and the name of the a famous person you would want
to take out on a date! Send the envelope to: "d&d ball"
Impressions, POST Newspapers, 2 Keightley Road
East, Subiaco 6008. Copyright © 1999 - 2006 Post Newspapers Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
Even people who have
never seen him on stage, film or on television know
Marcel Marceau.
He and his brother
both worked for the French resistance, ending up in
Paris in 1944, when their father was deported to
Auschwitz (where he died).
It's time for Cinderellas and Cinderfellas to dust
off the dancing shoes and perfect the pick-up lines
as one of Australia's biggest blind dates rolls
into Perth.
In Post Impressions this week:
Theatre:
Exhibitions:
Books:
Cinema:
Music:
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Around the galleries...
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