“Good Exits”: A solo performance on Charles Chaplin was performed by Jeremy Meier, the Owens Creative Arts and Media Chair, on March 4th, 2025.
Jeremy Meier played Charlie Chaplin and dove into Chaplin’s life story about the relationships he had and his uprising career back in the early 1900s. Meier’s hour-long solo performance guided the audience from start to end of Charlie Chaplin’s career and included a satire on Hitler and Nazism during the same time period.
Towards the end of the performance, “Charlie” turned to the audience for open-ended questions about his career and/or personal life.
Later on Meier, himself, turned to the audience for more questions about things that Charlie, could not, or would not answer.
“What was Chaplin’s love life?” Asked one audience member.
“Well, in the eyes of today, Charlie would be in a lot of trouble. He was married 3 to 4 times in his life and favored the younger women,” replied Meier, hesitantly.
As the show came to an end, Meier remarked on what it takes to be a success in Charlie Chaplin’s eyes.
“One must have the capacity to suffer, anguish, and sustain enthusiasm for a longer period of time.”
The show concluded, and the audience members left knowing more about Charlie Chaplin, the Nazi regime, and the success of one of the first celebrities to date.
