Picasso at the Lapin Agile
By Steve Martin
Directed by Kari Goetz
Sep. 16 – Oct. 9, 2022
Preview Performances: Sep. 14 – 15
Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center for the Performing Arts
In his first comedy for the stage, the popular actor and screenwriter plays fast and loose with fact, fame and fortune as two of the 20th Century’s legendary geniuses muse on humanity’s achievements and prospects as well as other fanciful topics with infectious dizziness.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile offers up a fictitious meeting in 1904 between Albert Einstein (age 25) and Pablo Picasso (age 23) in the Lapin Agile, a cabaret/bar and haven for artists, musicians, poets and philosophers in the Montmartre section of Paris.
This encounter occurs just one year before Einstein presents the special theory of relativity in 1905 and three years before Picasso revolutionizes art in 1907 with his new aesthetic reflected in “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.”
Picasso at the Lapin Agile presents a compelling examination of science and art and their impact on a rapidly changing society. The play moves with ease between the breezy and the profound, as the two men engage in a battle of ideas about probability, lust, artistic integrity and the future. Dancing a line between comedic and serious, the play’s exploration of art, physics, philosophy, time, space and relationships of all kinds excites a lively combustion of colorful characters and propels the observer to consider our desires for innovation, love and beauty.
Bystanders, including Picasso’s agent, his amorous fan, the bartender and his mistress, an elderly philosopher and an idiot inventor introduce additional flourishes of humor. The final surprise patron to join the merriment at the Lapin Agile is a charismatic dark haired singer time warped in from a later era.
About The Playwright
Steve Martin began his career on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” (1967-1969), for which he earned his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music in 1969. In the mid-1970s, Mr. Martin shone as a stand-up on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Martin’s films are widely popular successes and are the kind of movies that are viewed again and again: The Jerk (1979), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), Roxanne (
“Steve Martin's comic wit has never been sharper.
A very engaging 75-minute shaggy dog of a comedy ... Mr. Martin has also created a number of moments of real humor and wit ... His manner is to so mix the sublime with the ridiculous that they can't be easily disentangled.
Steve Martin is a gifted screenplay writer, and as Picasso demonstrated, a smart, facile thinker with a serious reach.
Production History
Jobsite first produced Picasso at the Lapin Agile Jan. 8 – 31, 2009, when it became our best-attended production to date. Jobsite also staged Martin’s Meteor Shower to great acclaim in 2019 and The Underpants a few years before that.
Media
Director’s Note: Picasso at the Lapin Agile
From director Kari Goetz on her second go-round with Steve Martin’s hilarious comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which opens our 2022-23 season in the
Meet the Team: Picasso at the Lapin Agile
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Previews
Chris Holcom stars in Picasso at the Lapin Agile – Creative Loafing
Cast & Crew
- Kari Goetz – Director
- Teah Banks – Stage Manager
Cast
- Ned Averill-Snell – Gaston
- Jada Canty – Germaine
- Robert Spence Gabriel – Picasso
- Michael C. McGreevy – Sagot
- Jonelle M. Meyer – Charles Dabernow Schmendiman
- Martin Powers – The Visitor
- Sydney Reddish – Suzanne, et. al.
- Brian Matthew Shea – Freddy
- Blake Smallen – Einstein
Crew
- Anne Acosta – Costume Designer
- Jo Averill-Snell – Lighting Designer
- Teah Banks – Properties
- Jeremy Douglass – Sound Designer
- David M. Jenkins – Producing Artistic Director
- Jena Rashid – Producing and Engagement Apprentice
- Tea Roberts – Scenic Artist
- Brian M. Smallheer – Scenic Designer
2009 Cast & Crew
- Kari Goetz – Director
- Jaime Giangrande-Holcom – Stage Manager
Cast
- J. Duggan – Schmendiman
- Jason Evans – Einstein
- Steve Garland – Gaston
- Christen Hailey – Germaine
- Chris Holcom – Picasso
- Matt Lunsford – Freddy
- Michael C. McGreevy – Sagot
- Christen Hailey – Germaine
- Geneva Rae – Suzanne
- Dominic Russo – The Visitor
Crew
- David Valdez – Assistant Stage Manager
- Karla Hartley – Lighting Designer
- Brian M. Smallheer – Scenic Designer
Patron Reviews
- We saw the show Friday, and I thought it was very funny, surreal and off the wall. Jason and Chris nailed their roles as usual. Garland stole the show as he always does. Bravo to cast and crew. – Beth Hood
- My wife and I thought the performance by all of the actors under the direction of Kari was thoroughly fun and entertaining.... Keep up the good work and ignore some of the misdirected comments by critics that should be writing on the sports pages or at the very least working at the zoo cleaning out the monkey cages. – Sam and Grace Puterman
- Just wanted to drop you a line and say how much my husband and I enjoy our season tickets.... We attended [Picasso at the Lapin Agile] and found it both thought provoking and funny. – John and Lori Pate
- ... We thoroughly enjoyed it. We thought everyone did a great job with their characters. I tell the folks I work with all the time to go catch your plays, and I will make sure I emphasize it when I see them all tomorrow. Great job! I can't wait for the next show! – Richard Rosengren
- Sandy and I purchased tickets for the Sunday afternoon show and we loved it. Best theater experience I've had in a couple years. – Brendan McLaughlin
- My husband & I took a group of eight friends last weekend and we all thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The cast was terrific, and the whole show was a lot of fun. We feel very fortunate to have such talent – cast, as well as behind-the-scenes people – right here at home. – Mariella Smith
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