Mime Comparison: The Tango Dancer 'And The Library'

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Mime Comparison Essay
Mime is a type of a theatrical presentation that utilizes gesticulation and facial expression, to convey a certain action, character and emotion, but doesn’t use words or speech. Its key conventions are no talking, perfect timing for actions, over exaggeration of actions, and one should mime any props or set. In this essay, I will be comparing three excerpts of mime: ‘The Lion’s Cage’ by Charlie Chaplin, ‘The Tango Dancer’ by Marcel Marceau, and ‘The Library’ by Rowan Atkinson and explain the conventions in depth as we go along each excerpt, as they have similarities, evident mime techniques and differences.
The three excerpts had similarities and discernable mime techniques, which were crucial to any mime performance. …show more content…

For instance, in Charlie Chaplin’s performance during the silent film era, a placard was shown during the middle of the show, to assumedly express something that couldn’t be gesticulated. Another difference in this show is a subordinate genre called Slapstick, which was a genre not included in the other plays. In Marcel Marceau’s production, different lighting techniques were used during his performance presumably to add emphasis to the theme, a unique feature not used in the other mimes. Whereas the other performance used supporting characters, this one had no supporting characters, but he managed to bring one to life. Lastly, in Rowan Atkinson’s contemporary act, the performance required the most props.
In conclusion, the key conventions of mime presented in the three excerpts are lucid facial expressions and body language, histrionic gesticulations, suitable sound effects, appropriate setting for the theme and the fact that the characters try to make a good impression. Out of the three excerpts I saw, I found that Marcel Marceau’s ‘The Tango Dancer’ was the most effective mime performance out of the three, because not only did it contain all the requisite elements for a successful mime, but also the techniques that Marcel Marceau used for the play was distinctively innovative compared to the other two

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