Sound of Silence

Way back in the days of silent film, being a good mime was a ticket to stardom. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and the Little Tramp himself, Charlie Chaplin, all used their bodies and facial expressions to act out their stories. With the advent of talkies, the art of mime faded from the silver screen, but nevertheless became a top French export. The legendary Marcel Marceau set the bar pretty damn high, and several of his countrymen have continued the tradition. To see a contemporary take on this old-school art, check out Mano a Mano tonight at the Carnival Center’s Studio Theater.

The Théâtre du chapeau’s G. Lacouture and P. Berthierm consider themselves members of the “new clown school,” and rather than relying on standard, oft-lampooned mimey fare — help, I’m stuck behind a glass wall, that kinda thing — they prefer to interact with each other and the audience while employing crazed body language and aerial stunts. And by the way, this might be mime, but it ain’t necessarily silent — these two clowns communicate with whistles. The performance begins at 8 p.m., and the show will continue until Saturday.
Dec. 20-15, 8 p.m., 2007