Any troupes similar to Mummenschanz?

November 3, 2021 4:22 PM

Are there any other troupes currently doing characters and performances similar to Mummenschanz?
posted by Sophont to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

Best answer: It's a somewhat different style of performance for sure, but there are a few black light theatre groups that work along kind of similar lines, like Prague's Image Theatre (that video shows more their dance stuff, but there are often wry pantomime sketches mixed into the shows as well).

Blue Man Group and STOMP are still going and fall into the category of physical theatre, though clearly decidedly different than Mummenschanz. The comparison of Blue Man Group to Mummenschanz is literally a Simspsons joke.
posted by zachlipton at 9:24 PM on November 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

Not sure how you define similar, but you might want to look into puppetry. Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival attracts performers from around the world many of whom work on anthropomorphization of shapes. I saw Phillip Huber as part of the 2019 festival and had the same feeling of awe and delight I have when viewing Mummenschanz.
posted by Dotty at 5:53 AM on November 4, 2021

You could also look through the companies who appear at the London Mime Festival (and their archive), which has a wider remit than "mime" might usually suggest. (I'd have a closer look myself but my internet connection's currently on a go slow.)
posted by fabius at 8:25 AM on November 4, 2021

Pilobolus has a kind of Mummenschanz-y vibe, imo.
posted by athirstforsalt at 9:45 AM on November 4, 2021

Or the "spin off" which is a lil more mime-y, MOMIX.
posted by athirstforsalt at 9:47 AM on November 4, 2021

I was coming in to say Pilobolus too.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:05 AM on November 4, 2021

Best answer: I have seen the ZooZoo show at the Imago Theater in Portland. The first video on the page gives you a sampler of what they do.
posted by polecat at 1:34 PM on November 4, 2021

You might check out the Triadisches Ballett, a Bauhaus performance that uses some bizarre geometric costumes to transform the human shape (video).
posted by subocoyne at 1:44 PM on November 4, 2021