Lifelong Learning and Marcel Marceau

Noting that Marcel Marceau died yesterday, I've been letting my imagination run with the intersection between his art and lifelong learning. The New York Times obituary noted that he never said a word on stage or screen except for the time that Mel Brooks put him in a spot in one of his pictures and had him actually say something. The effect was, of course, unexpected and funny. I don't always practice it, but I'm aware that saying too much is often saying too much.

My daughter interviewed Marcel four years ago during his last tour of the United States. I think her article is as good an obituary as the Times but I may be prejudiced in her favor. The link to her article in the Minneapolis weekly entertainment tabloid is:

http://www.citypages.com/databank/24/1164/article11147.asp

To whet your appetite, here's a quote from the article about what makes a person continue to be alive all one's life:

"Certainly, I wouldn't be the first woman to be charmed by the French or sweet-talked by a mime, but it's more likely I fell prey to the infectious vivacity, curiosity, creativity...and oh heck...let's just say it...joie de vivre, that has charmed 55 years' worth of audiences. It's no doubt the same remarkable well-being that recently prompted the United Nations Second World Assembly on Aging to appoint him "goodwill ambassador." Marceau is quite grateful for his health and chalks it up to "a gift I received from the godly," though he seriously adds, "also, I never quit working."

"The reason behind the longevity of Marceau's career may be that he offers audiences something they can't get anywhere else. He offers poetry--literal and figurative--on the stage, and masterfully refined physical-theater skills. Marceau recalls that in the days before his legendary status he found himself thinking, "What could I bring to the stage that America doesn't have?" "Ah," he remembers answering himself, "the art of silence. And, they can see that in silence I carry the invisible." As he shares this there is a pause in which he seems to be re-asking the question--and coming up with the same answer."