January 24, 2002
THEATER REVIEW

Clever Mimes Craft a Fine Time
By PHILIP BRANDES, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

In exploring the intricacies of storytelling through physical movement for more than 40 years, Richmond Shepard has accumulated more than enough experience and perspective to make "A Mime's Life" at Stages Theatre Center a meaningful career summation. It's also a fun way to discover and appreciate some of the finer points of mime craft from an accomplished teacher and performer. Making his first L.A. appearance since moving to New York 15 years ago, the limber 72-year-old Shepard personifies an inspirational triumph over time itself through a series of sketches and brief autobiographical anecdotes. For most of the show, Shepard is joined onstage by five performers in the ensemble mime format he introduced to America in the 1960s. Prominent among the troupe are Russia's Janna Papsuyeva and Edward Grigorian, who bring an Eastern European intensity and precision to their work that complements Shepard's loose, accessible style. Papsuyeva combines emotive dexterity with a ballerina's grace and poise to make all of her characters riveting--from the beleaguered homesteader's wife in a spaghetti western parody to a jack that Shepard uses to fix a spare tire. The American mime contingent--Ann Michele Fitzgerald, Emily Calabrese and Cher Ferreyra--acquit themselves capably as well. An offstage musical ensemble is directed by Omar Kaczmarczyk, who also provides perfectly timed sound effects and occasional narration. Shepard's material mines as much comic material from the commonplace (a car ride in whichcast members become various automotive components) as it does from the fanciful (a trip to the moon, affording a skillful illusion of weightlessness). A more sobering piece about the self-destructive cycles of civilization was adapted from a James Thurber story. Generally, though, the pieces aren't highly conceptual--Shepard's natural domain is good-natured whimsy, and by and large he sticks to it. Nor does he try to elevate his craft above its entertainment value (his humility and lack of pretension are part of the show's genuine delight). In a short solo tour of some basic combinations of head and chest positions, he economically demonstrates the evocative power of pure physicality to define the essentials of character. Equally engaging are Shepard's personal reminiscences and reflections, delivered in a breezy, self-deprecating style that invites us to share in a celebration of his life. A hilarious "Dawn of Mime" sequence spoofing the beginning of "2001: A Space Odyssey" makes a fitting finale. For anyone who enjoys the craft, buying a ticket to this show is your perfect opportunity to help get mimes off the street and onto the stage where they belong. * "A Mime's Life," Stages Theatre Center, 1540 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Feb. 24. $20. (323) 465-1010. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes. If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. For information about reprinting this article, go to www.lats.com/rights