Marcel Marceau

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.