'Marcel on the Train' Off-Broadway review — Ethan Slater deftly delivers a smooth ride
Read our review of Marcel on the Train off Broadway, co-written by and starring Tony nominee Ethan Slater and co-written and directed by Marshall Pailet.
Summary
- Marcel on the Train dramatizes the true story of how famous French mime Marcel Marceau helped smuggle Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied France
- Ethan Slater showcases his talents as both the star and co-writer of the play
- The script is both tense and humorous and is set against a minimalist design
- The show is recommended for fans of true histories; mime; and Slater's other work in SpongeBob SquarePants and Wicked
Silence speaks volumes. Marcel on the Train, a richly imaginative drama co-written by and starring Ethan Slater in the title role, opens with a potent and poetic wordless scene. It’s a fitting choice for this story about the legendary mime Marcel Marceau.
Picture this: A young Marcel muscles open an invisible sliding door, steps into an empty space, and plucks an imaginary blossom. Petals bloom as he extends his fingers. He covers a sneeze with his hand, and, just like that, the flower dies.
Life and death — there, in his palm. That’s the crux of this semi-factual story that follows a 20-year-old Marcel as he escorts youths, French and Jewish like him, from Nazi-occupied France to the Swiss border. They posed as members of a scout troupe, and Marcel used his mime skills to calm the kids’ fears.
Echoes of The Sound of Music and Life Is Beautiful quietly rumble, but this thoughtful 100-minute work unfolds as a story all its own. Credit a sharp script laced with tension (again, Nazis) and unlikely humor (about, of all things, a “pee bucket”), co-written by Marshall Pailet, who directs the stripped-back production. The play’s world is conjured from a bare stage, a few props, and Brandon Stirling Baker's drama-charged lighting.
Also essential is the uniformly fine acting by members of the cast playing Marcel’s relatives, Hitler’s officers, and others in the children’s rescue organization. Four adult actors — Tedra Millan, Maddie Corman, Max Gordon Moore, and Alex Wyse — playing 12-year-olds on the train impressively manage the tricky feat of not acting their age.
While based on real events from 1943, details of the story are fictionalized. The authors use that creative license to let the story leap forward and backward over decades. We eavesdrop on scenes leading up to Nazi occupation and ones illuminating the fates of the tweens and Marcel himself. Signs — saying things like “Adolphe remembers the bucket” — set up these moments, some of which play out with more clarity than others from there.
The onstage conductor is, of course, Slater, who’s known as a SpongeBob SquarePants Tony Award nominee and Boq in the Wicked movies. With expressive eyes and liquid limbs, he embodies his role with physical and emotional chops alike. He summons our full attention whether speaking or deftly going through the motions.
Marcel on the Train summary
Before he became the world’s most famous mime, Marcel Marceau (Marcel Mangel at birth) had an extraordinary early chapter in his life. In 1943, he helped smuggle Jewish orphans across the border from France to Switzerland working with an organization called the OSE, co-authors Ethan Slater and Marshall Pailet note in their script. Those events inspired their play in its world premiere at Classic Stage Company.
What to expect at Marcel on the Train
Knowing that Marcel Marceau is a legend in silent art, one might wonder: Is the whole play mimed? It’s not, though gesture plays a big role. Intimacy and minimalism are hallmarks of director Marshall Pailet’s staging. The audience surrounds the action on three sides, so there’s really nowhere to hide, and the meaning of that in this tale is clear. Early on in the show, the train comes to life through a theatrical combination of scenic shifts (design is by Scott Davis), lighting, and other effects.
What audiences are saying about Marcel on the Train
During early performances, Marcel on the Train was cheered on by theatregoers on Mezzanine, an app for tracking and reviewing theatre.
- “Impressed that Slater co-wrote this. He is such a physical actor and so strong and flexible in his every movement. While not a fan of mim[e], this had an intensity.” Mezzanine user Allison R
- “Very minimalistic off Broadway production, but moving, funny, and important all at once.” Mezzanine user Evan Shire
- “Great story that I knew absolutely nothing about. The train car search scene with the Nazi officer was tense as f*ck. Loved the flash forwards showing us the kids later on.” Mezzanine Derek Kahle
- “This was surprisingly strong. [...] It would have been better 10-15 minutes shorter.” Mezzanine Dalton Dear
Who should see Marcel on the Train
- Fans who’ve enjoyed Ethan Slater’s previous work on stage and screen will appreciate experiencing his work as a performer and a co-author.
- Theatregoers who enjoy bio-shows will appreciate this story that brings out a relatively unexplored life part of a French superstar mime who died at age 84 in 2007.
- Audience members who enjoy mime will savor that element of the show, as it is threaded into a number of scenes.
Learn more about Marcel on the Train off Broadway
Based on real events that helped shape a future French star, the play illuminates the life of Marcel Marceau and showcases Ethan Slater’s talents as an actor and a writer. All aboard!
Photo credit: Marcel on the Train off Broadway. (Photos by Emilio Madrid)
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