Essence Pantomime Troupe on the PAC Stage

by Michael Lippman It is always unsettling to enter the theater for a performance and f ind the actors already on stage; one can almost be int imidated, as i f the audience has interrupted a ritual which was going on before it entered and now must pay humble t r ibute. The black-tight white-face figures seemed unaware o f an expectant audience as they went through their "Free Exerc i s e . ' 1 a spontaneous silent demonstration of f luid mot ion . This was pleasing to the eye but only built up suspense in the mind I could picture this going on all night and the question "What happens next?" became all important . u n t i l last Friday's performance of the Essence Mime Troupe I had had l i t t le experience wi th the ai l o f pantomime ( " t ry lo hear whal I 'm not saying") and was uncer-. tain and unprepared for what was to come. The exercise was halted by a fanfare, and the company assembled to a march played on kazoos. At this point the evening appeared as i f it would be one o f " G i m m i c k Theater", replacing creativity wi th shock value and talent wi th cheap tricks, but once I accepted the falsity ol' my llrst impressions it was easy lo enjoy the ten beautiful ly executed skits thai fol lowed. None of this could have been done in standard theater. A mime group, " i n the (ireek t rad i t ion" relics on body and facial expression lo communicate any spoken dialogue is incidental. Because o f the method ol dramatic portrayal, the presentation ol ' llie message is more important than the message ilsell (McEuhan musl lie a great Ian of mime). The messages presented, the "Views on conlcmp-