Marceau, Marcel (redirected from Marcel Mangel)

Marceau, Marcel (märsĕl` märsō`), 1923–, French mime. Marceau studied under Charles Dullin and Étienne Decroux in Paris. He gained renown in 1947 with the creation of Bip, a sad, white-faced clown with a tall, battered hat. Marceau and his Compagnie de Mimodrame have performed frequently in the United States since 1955, most recently in 2000. In 1978 he founded the Ecole de mimodrame de Paris. He has made several films, including Un jardin public (1955).

Bibliography

See G. Mendoza, The Marcel Marceau Alphabet Book (1970).

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Marceau, Marcel

 orig. Marcel Mangel

(born March 22, 1923, Strasbourg, France—died Sept. 22, 2007, Cahors) French mime. After serving in World War II, he studied with the pantomimist Étienne Decroux and had his first success in the role of Arlequin in Baptiste. He formed a mime troupe (1949–64) and earned worldwide acclaim in the 1950s with his production of the “mimodrama” of Nikolay Gogol's Overcoat. In 1978 he founded a school of mimodrama in Paris. He was noted for his eloquent, deceptively simple portrayals, including his celebrated white-faced character Bip, reminiscent of Pierrot and of Charlie Chaplin's Tramp. Marceau, who also acted in several movies, retired from performing in 2005. See also mime and pantomime.

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Marceau, Marcel 

Born Mar. 22, 1923, in Strasbourg. French pantomimist.

Marceau was a student of the theatrical director C. Dullin and the actor E. Decroux. In 1947 he organized his own troupe, the Community of Mimes. Marceau created the character Bip, who is filled with a naive and joyful love of life and people. Bip is the central figure in mime scenes that vary in theme. Among Marceau’s best works are the pantomimes The Overcoat (based on N. V. Gogol’s story) and Paris Cries, Paris Laughs and the sketches “Youth, Maturity, Old Age, and Death,” “The Mask-maker,” and “David and Goliath.” Developing the artistic tradition of the outstanding 19th-century mime J.-B.-G. Deburau, Marceau’s performances are dramatic, poetic, and witty. They reflect human truths and are marked by broad character generalization. In 1960, Marceau’s company disbanded, and since then he has performed mainly outside of France. He appeared in the USSR in 1961, 1964, 1966, 1972, and 1973.

REFERENCES

Boiadzhiev, G. Teatral’nyi Parizh segodnia. Moscow, 1960.
Markova, E. “Marseliu Marso—50 let.” Teatr, 1973, no. 4.