The evolution of Mime: the power of soundless movement and music

Rather than fade into obscurity when talking movies began to take over the silver screen (late 1920s), the art of pantomime/mime continued to evolve and flourish around the world.  Much of what we have seen is comedic and delightful.  We are often treated to a combination of expression and just a bit of our own imagination, allowing us to participate in the performance instantly and reverently. 

Marcel Marceau, a world renowned mime from France, deftly portrays a waiter in a restaurant that has outwitted an unhappy customer in this short video clip.  The only sound we hear is an occasional patter of Marceau’s feet, serving to emphasize his movement from one area of the restaurant to another.  We are delighted to watch closely so that we are quick to catch the meaning almost immediately of Marceau’s action.  His movement draws us in and we become a part of the moment.   Marceau uses the traditional white face paint and darkly colored lips and eyes that almost simulate that of a clown, but not quite.  The clothing is close to the body like a dancer or court jester, allowing the audience to clearly capture each nuance.  It is the facial expressions along with the body movement that tell us the story.  In this clip, Marceau plays two characters with ease; the waiter and the unhappy customer.

British actor, Rowan Atkinson, uses the art of pantomime/mime to portray the character of Mr. Bean.  Instead of the traditional props of white/clown face and ballet costume in traditional black and white, we find Mr. Bean to be an ordinary man, wearing, more often than not, a brown or gray suit. The emphasis of Mr. Bean’s character focuses more on his obscurity and awkward movement rather than the fluid, graceful movements of Marceau.  In addition, he deftly combines situation background noises and an occasional muffled voice to set the scene wherein Mr. Bean, who rarely utters a word, takes us on a journey of one embarrassing moment after another.

The ability of Mr. Bean to draw us in and bring us to almost medicinal laughter is portrayed in this memorable video clip,  Mr. Bean at the Beach.  He attempts to discreetly change into swimming trunks without having to take off his trousers in front of another bather.  After much acrobatic movement, Mr. Bean stands proudly in his swim trunks only to watch the other bather use a walking stick for the blind to find his way off the beach.

In the African American community, mime is taking on a whole new form with the Gospel at its core and is often referred to as Gospel Mime or Praise Mime.  The traditional white face has been retained, along with white gloves and black or white robes, for the most part.   Mime ministry members, without uttering a sound, use expressive movements to portray the meaning behind a Gospel song often sung by a soloist or full choir and accompanying musicians.

The movements combine modern dance and an occasional step or two.  More powerful with Gospel mime is the delivery through call and response, wherein mime performers, musicians, the choir and the congregation take turns in calling out and responding through the energy of their collective life force, hence a ministry.   The result is amazing as seen in this video clip of the UAB Gospel Choir concert singing For Every Mountain, interpreted by UAB’s Total Man Mime Ministry.   The ministry takes mime to another level, especially when delivered by a group.  The layers and power of that delivery seem to hold no boundaries.

Looking at our youth and in particular in our ethnic communities and churches, there is a renaissance going on.  As a nation, a world community, we find ourselves tested in every aspect of our lives, often with our backs up against the wall. In the depths of our anguish we seek out hope that is buried beneath the tar.  And like a lotus flower that will only grow in a muddy swamp, we reach within to bring out hope through our faith, through our art, our song, our laughter, our dance and, often, a combination of all manner of expression to lift us up above the noise and find peace.