Celebrating Marcel! - 22/09/'07

Marcel Marceau has passed away and I want to take a moment to celebrate him.

Since I can remember, I have always been fascinated by his work.

That fascination grew over the years to include studying the art of other silent artists and eventually writing a film based on their methods.

The film has yet to come to pass, but in the course of researching it, I was able to see Mr. Marceau perform a number of times and share an incredibly inspiring dinner with him in Santa Barbara a couple years ago.

I came away from that dinner absolutely elated with his generosity of spirit, kindness and massive love for his art and any other creative endeavors. He held strong, well-read opinions and had many wonderful stories to tell. Magical stories from everyday life. That four hour dinner will inspire me for the rest of my life.

On stage his performances were sublime. His character "Bip" became the iconic image of Mime to much of the world, but it was his work beyond Bip that captured my interest. Without a word and with a great economy of movement, Mr. Marceau was able to communicate complex and often heart-rendering stories. Audiences of hundreds hung on to his every gesture, feeling every detail of the story and knowing every character he was expressing.

I am a little sad with his passing, mainly because we never had the opportunity to work together, but that is far eclipsed by my desire to stand up, raise a glass in the air and a hand to my heart and say Merci Marceau, Vivez Pour Toujours! (Live Forever)