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| Image from LedaSchubert.com |
He peeks out from behind a curtain, his dark eyes twinkling
from his face caked with white make-up. He can make “reality into dreams and
dreams into reality.” All alone on a stage he can play tug of war, chase
butterflies, transform into a fish or a bird or a tree with just the movements
of his body, the expressions on this face. He is Marcel Marceau, the famous
mime. But Marceau wasn’t always a mime. Born in Strasbourg, France in 1923 as
Marcel Mangel, his dream of becoming a silent film star like Charlie Chaplin
was crushed with the arrival of World War II. He joined the French Resistance
and led hundreds of Jewish children to safety in Switzerland. So people wouldn't know he was Jewish he changed his last name to the French sounding Marceau. It wasn’t until the war
ended that Marceau studied mime and created his most famous character, Bip.
Marceau went on to perform around the world because, as he said, “Neither
laughter nor tears are French, English, Russian, or Japanese.”
This picture book biography is a wonderful introduction to a
unique performer, as well as a look at his efforts to save lives during World War
II. The text, printed in large font, is beautifully worded and well-researched.
All words spoken by Marceau in the text are drawn from research and are cited
on the back page. There is an afterward with more detailed biographical
information and a list of recommended books for further reading. Schubert also
includes some beginning miming advice from Rob Mermin, the founding director of
the Vermont-based Circus Smirkus. Mermin includes a short exercise that
encourages the use of the senses of touch, taste, and sight to bring the
imagined world to life. DuBois’ painted illustrations are wonderfully textured
with visible brush strokes of thick paint. Illustrations that show Marceau
performing pop out from the page in high contrast black and white with accents
of blue and red. Conversely, the illustrations that depict Marceau’s real life
as a child and during the war are soft edged and draw from a wider color palate
that includes browns, greens, yellows, and blues.
Before or after you read this book show this video of Bip in The Lion Tamer. Watch the clip once through just to enjoy it. Then ask the kids
how they knew where the lion was on the stage. Talk about how Marceau uses his
eyes to follow the imaginary lion. Can you see the difference when Marceau is
looking at lion and when he is looking at the audience and thanking them for
the applause? How do you know what the lion is doing? Watch how Marceau reacts
to the actions made by the lion. You might also show this snippet of his maskmaker sketch. For
both sketches, you can also discuss the importance of music to the act. Watch
them with sound and then without, what are the differences?
Use the exercise and suggestions given by Mermin and Schubert at the end
of the book to get kids up and moving. Urge kids to think about all the little
movements they use to accomplish even a small task like brushing their teeth or
making a sandwich. Often kids will want to rush through the actions, so
encourage them to slow down so that their audience can see every detail.
If you are interested in watching mime performed live or
bringing a mime to your library, school, or other venue check out the Pantomime Mimes website, which includes listings for festivals and artists, as well as books,
history, and news from around the world.
Check out Jacqueline Briggs Martin’s short 5 questioninterview with Schubert posted on her blog for more information on the
inspiration and creation of the book.
-Amy
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