Economical and Entertaining

From the Greek Mimes to Marcel Marceau and Beyond: Mimes, Actors, Pierrots and Clowns: A Chronicle of the Many Visages of Mime in the Theatre
by Annette Bercut Lust

Of all the books written about Marcel Marceau and other great mimes, this is the most developed. Annette Lust presents the history of the artists with clarity and sustained interest. Her timeline is impeccable and her characters lively. Her power is particularly evident when Marcel Marceau is introduced. The pantomime's genius is apparent in every sentence, and the author highlights the purity of his timing. Marceau, like his 1947 creation `Bip', is seen as enigmatic, and I agree with Annette's assessment. I had the good fortune to meet Monsieur Marceau when we were both guests on the 'Tonight Show' with Johnny Carson in 1988. Marcel was naturally reticent, so Carson filled the silences with bird calls and beverage gargling. Near the end of the interview, the frustrated host asked Marcel to explain his miming philosophy. Marcel looked at me, pondered briefly and replied, "." Impressed, Carson announced effusively, "Fantastic! I couldn't have said it better myself."

So I was somewhat surprised when, during the ad break, Johnny dragged me off-stage and fumed, "Frank, can you believe that clown? I thought he'd never shut up!"