Marcel Marceau Drops His Balls

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French mine artist Marcel Marceau creator of Bip the Clown died in September 2007. I was fortunate to meet him on a live BBC radio four “Woman’s Hour” program. The interviewer was Sue MacGregor along with a family member from the Robert Brothers Circus. Topic was the importance of making people laugh.


Marcel told several stories about how he gather the idea’s for Bip the Clown from what he saw on the street. It wasn’t just a man slipping on a banana skin but observation on how people stand and walk. I will always remember him miming standing at a fireplace with a drink in his hand. You believed he really had a drink. When I was teaching others how to learn the art of the clown I would always tell them to look at how people behaviour in public. Marcel said he would sit in a shopping centre in Paris just people watching, how he would love American shopping Malls.


When friends say they are bored I suggest they go to the Mall and people watch. It is truly amazing how we human’s go about of daily lives. Next the lady from Robert Brother’s Circus explained how circuses were moving away from animal acts. It wasn’t just a reaction to the animal rights groups. Audience love to see people skills and it inspires children to take up dance, acrobatic and other performance type skills.


When it was my turn to talk I became serious and explain that clowning and comedy was a very serious business. Making people laugh wasn’t easy, timing, body and face expressions don’t just appear over night. Marcel agreed and said he would rehearse for fourteen hours a day to perfect a body movement. He asked me if I did the same, I told the story of how when performing my show “The Great Custard Pie Mystery” at the Royal National Theatre in London. I had to open a sash window and climb through it. The window was small so getting my body through was no mean feat. I rehearsed it for two week four hours a day until I could do it without thinking.


Sue McGregor asked if any of us could juggle. Marcel said he had always wanted to learn. I explain it was easy to get the basics but patience and practice were important. Sue produced three rubber balls and I explained how to start. Marcel with great gusto picked up the balls and began to throw them in the air. The balls fell to the floor bouncing around the BBC radio studio.


As if it was a normal thing to say Sue McGregor said, “Oh Marcel has dropped his balls.”

I am not sure who laughed the most Marcel or me. The program was quickly taken to a news flash. I saw him several years later and he just said, “I still drop my balls.” We laughed so much that those around us looked at us with shock and surprised.

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