Marcel Marceau and Me…

September 23, 2007 Uncategorized

Amy Cohen Efron honors Marcel Marceau, 84, the world’s famous mime performer passed away on Saturday night in France. Marceau was considered as “the master” with the rare gift of “being able to communicate with each and everyone beyond the barriers of language.”

This statement is very true for me personally. Watch how Amy shared her personal story about Marcel Marceau and his performance at New York City in 1981.

Watch and learn about the relationship between Marceau and the Deaf Community!

Marcel Marceau, thank you very much for your inspiration. May you rest in peace.

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[vPIP type=”video/quicktime” onclick=”vPIPPlay(this, ‘name=qt’, ”, ”); return false;”]Play Quicktime version 2:56 minutes long
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For some who cannot view my videoclip, try this from YouTube:

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26 comments on “Marcel Marceau and Me…”

I watched his play in 2002 in Providence, Rhode Islands and I did really enjoy watch him and understand his story from birth to death.
I just watch the play of Bernard Bragg one man show last Saturday and he told the story of Mercel Marceau. Small world!
Bless his heart to our Deaf Community!
B

He gave a performance at Gallaudet, in ’77 or ’78. It was fascinating watching his show. After that, he spent time chatting with us, in mime. It was cool.

We have lost another legend. He was one of the nature treasure that inspired many people including myself. Thank you for making me as an actor.

Hi Amy.

What a touching tribute you made for Marcel Marceau. I also had the privilege of seeing Marcel perform. I was in my late-20’s and Brent had purchased a ticket for us to go see him in Portland, OR. He was amazing!

Thank you for a heartfelt tribute to a great artist!

~ LaRonda

Always inspiring to hear how a certain somebody can inspire you for several generations. Thanks for sharing.

Amy

Great vlog tribute to Marcel. One question. How did Marcel communicate with deaf people after the show?

Curious.

Amy…I am crying. I can’t watch your vlog right now.

I saw him performing at U of M…I can’t remember which year.

I loved him so much and wanted to see him again!

He was really really incredible and I was inspired to wanting to be a mime, but had I been younger….

I know he was old, but it didn’t show that when he was on the stage! He was in his 80’s when I saw him and I was blown away with his energy and flexibility on the stage.

Rest in peace, MM! 🙁

Thanks for tribute to Marcel Marceau. I’m surprise to hear the news.

I was about 10 or 11 years old, my former babysit took me to a perform show in San Diego area, and watched Marcel performed on a stage. After the show, she asked if it’s all right for me to meet him in his changing room. They (stage person) gave us permission to come in and visited with him. He gave me a picture of him with his signature. He talked with me by sign language. That was my best memories of him.

I was former mime for 3+ years at my mainstream school, have been performed on a stage at different places few times.

I am saddened about the death of Marcel Marceau.
I call him “MM”. It was Bernard Bragg (“BB”) from whom I first learned about MM in the late 1950s. Every time I see MM, I think of BB, or everytime
I think of BB, I think of MM. Two such inseparable
characters. MM was full of life and so is BB whom
I shall be watching this Saturday.

MM invited Bernard Bragg to Paris, France, where
they talked about pantomime in 1950s. MM’s named
will never fade away.

Requiescat in pace,

Jean Boutcher

Gary Brooks in #3 says “Thank you for making me as an actor.”

Literally or figuratively? If literally, please tell
us more about how he made you an actor. It should
sound interesting.

Merci bcp.

Jean Boutcher

I saw his performance in spring spring of 1988 and I was only 16, I was in AWE. I finally was able to laugh or cry with the audience. We all were on the same page, we understood well. I was the only deaf kid in mainstream in high school. My mom kept the program book and my tshirt. I think she still have it to this day.

M

Years ago back in the 70’s when I lived in NY, I went to see MM’s performance…little did I know how famous he was (I realized it much later).

I saw BB’s performance today in southern Calif. It was a beautiful and warm day outside as I walking towards the theatre. BB waved hi(he was my uncle’s classmate and my father’s schoolmate(Fanwood). I gave him my sympathy as I knew how important MM was to BB. He presented a beautiful and fitting tribute for MM. BB told us a few stories never shared with public or audience. I felt very privileged and fortunate that BB shared his most sacred stories and memories of MM.

May the cherished memories of MM be of some comfort to us all!

🙂
Hetty

Very good! Amy!

Yes, it is our loss!

I am glad Bernard and Bill did study under him!

I do not forget the first time I saw his show. How he moved and how he expressed his message through body language. It is part of our natural language. I do not mean the deaf only. The hearing too.

You know the games at home parties.. Charade?

Thats almost similar.

We move around to indicate what we try to express.
For Marcel, it was fun.

We can remember Marcel when we watch Bernard or Bill do the performances.

=)

Amy, yesterday morning (Sunday) I happened to got email from one of the very ACTIVE Deaf federal worker from the east coast and got spread the announcement news to us, the busy Deaf federal workers about Marcel Marceau when I was away from my home.

I want to thank you so much for your touchable experience meeting Marcel Marceau because you did touched my heart!!!! I am so glad that you did met him in your life!!! Wow, you are so DARN LUCKY LADY that you did already met him in your lifetime because I have not meet him in my life!!! You have so awesome experience personal story to share with us!!

I did enjoy to learn about Marcel Marceau from reading on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Marceau

Big Thank You Hugs, Shawn

I watched your vlog, Amy – very nice! Glad you saw him, too! 🙂

I loved the one where the mask got “stuck” on his face! I used to pull that on the kids when they were younger and they loved it! LOL!

Sooo sad… I still have the program book with him on the cover.

I had hoped I’d see him ONE more time…

Hi Amy,

You said very beautiful with my torch and tears. Marcel Marceau influenced our beautiful lives into our culture and language to preserve especially Bernard Bragg’s beautiful work to share with.

You said you finally understand how he performed without using voices. We are the most beautiful people to share with our insights of culture and langue eternally.

ILY!

Nick

Amy-

I am welling up with some mini-tears!!! Thank you for an incredibly heartfelt tribute to Marcel Marceau.

Although I have not had the opportunity to see MM in person, I recall Bernard Bragg (BB) speaking highly of MM when BB was under MM’s tutelage in France when BB was visiting CSD Riverside in 1983. Soon after, I got an opportunity to view a video of MM and was intensely captivated by his beautiful and vivid storytelling via mime!

Thank you, Amy, for sharing this with us! May the spirit of MM be with us all!

~Ginny

I notice you are fingerspelling the word C A R V I L E. What’s that your vlog is in the corner of print with letters C A R W I L E above. It is definitely mistake when I don’t mean to mock on you. Don’t be upset with me because I can’t help seeing how you fingerspell.

Hi Floridagirl,

I’m so glad that you caught me misspelling Carvile which is supposed to be spelled as Carwile. Carwile is a correct spelling, but I fingerspelled wrong.

It’s hard to re-do the video. Kudos to Floridagirl for catching me!

Bill Carwile, if you are watching this video, I hope you will accept my apologizes for misspelling your name on the videoclip.

Best,
Amy Cohen Efron

Amy,

Did you know that albeit his happy façade, MM was basically a sad man. He lost his mother and father to the Holocaust at Auschwitz.

thanks, amy, for sharing your experience with marcel marceu in asl. having grown up with bernard bragg teaching at my school and doing “the quiet man” on local tv and listening to the stories of his friendship with marcel marceu, its sad to realize mm is gone.

Amy,

Darn it! I wish to see his drama. I never seen his sweet with a big silent. I have seen him in TV. but I have not met him in real person. I thought MM is important to deaf community in few states he traveled different of states. Without speaking or ASL. just his own body language. he is the best of mime.

Remember We dont forgot about him.

Yeah I remember Bill Carwile mentioned to me that he was taught by Marcel Marceau .. I was a bit amazed because he was a well known mime. I did not know that BB was taught by him too. Glad you had a chance to see his show.
RIP MM … Diane

Though we should HONOR what Marcel Marceau DID say for the Deaf Community, we can still CONDEMN what he DIDN’T say for the Deaf Community.

He NEVER CREDITED the Deaf Community for the performance POWER that made him an international celebrity! That made his performances SO POWERFUL and INFLUENTIAL. As a Hearing person is such an Audistic environment, he needed to SPEAK UP for Deafhood, to be a LONE Hearing spokesperson against so much obvious Audism. He COULD have been such a powerful VOICE (so to “speak”) and never really did so.

Where was the school of DEAF MIMES that he could have NURTURED and presented to the world as EQUALS or even SUPERIORS to his ART??? Where was his outspoken advocacy for LSF and other signed languages??? Why DIDN’T he use his position he gained THROUGH users of Signed Languages to show others the BEAUTY and LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY of SIGN???

Hello Amy,

Thank you for share with us and One thing I never see Marcel Marceau. I hear anyone told me about him. I was thinking. I am going to buy DVD or Video from Marcel Marceau . I wonder can help me find on Website ? I hear people story about him and aslo My great friend sent to me about Amy C. So, I look at Amy’s Blog and I relize my self I miss alot thing and I am glad to catch up any story. But I must want to see MM too and see how he act and story about born to died. Anyone idea ? Please Help me Please Thank you,
Washburn, Tn
Glenda H.

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