On Oct. 14, the McArdle theatre put on the peculiar and the comically entertaining “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” The play was written in 1993 by stand-up comedian and actor Steve Martin, whose humor stands out in spades with everything from traditional comedic fare to fourth-wall-breaking jokes. One of the first of such jokes early on was where the owner of the bar essentially resets the play to an earlier point since Einstein entered into the play in the wrong order of appearance of characters, using a playbill from the audience to prove it.
One of the most interesting aspects of the play in the iteration shown at the McArdle Theatre is the seating arrangments for the audience In order to make the bar feel more alive, several tables are set up on stage and filled with members of the audience, who are then served cheese, bread and glasses of water to really enhance the experience. This use of audience members as extras adds depth to the experience, as the characters are no longer monologuing to imaginary tables of fellow customers, but rather real people who are not just passively watching. This all culminates into a wonderful play about a special meeting between geniuses of different fields and disciplines.
The play takes place at a turn of the 20th-century bar named “The Nimble Rabbit” in Paris, France. The Lapin Agile is run by a couple, Freddy and Germaine, who tend to a colorful cast of patrons, from the likes of Albert Einstein and Picasso to the sex-fixated Frenchman, Gaston or the incompetent albeit charismatic inventor, Schmendiman. The story focuses on a small rivalry of sorts that begins between two young geniuses, long before they have made the marks on the world that they are known for today. Einstein visits the bar as meeting place for a date, which is mirrored by a woman named Suzanne who comes in hoping to meet Picasso, who charmed her weeks ago.
When Einstein and Picasso eventually meet, they butt heads over the importance of their work. They wrestle about who is more valuable to the world, where Picasso and Einstein argue in favor of art and science respectively. Their meeting leads to inspiration on either side of the argument near the end of the play, which highlights this pivotal time in each genesis’s life. In the play, Einstein has a book on the way which he hopes will bring attention to his theory of relativity, while Picasso is on the cusp of discovering cubism, which will lead to his greatest works later on in life.
In the end, Picasso and Einstein depart from the bar as friends after realizing the importance of the other’s work, drawing the comedy filled play to a close. Ultimately, the play is rife with hilarity and a broad set of jokes that are bound to get a grin out of even the tightest of lips. “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” is a fine play that certainly warrants the attention of any fan of theatre. The play is showing again on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. for anyone who missed out on the first show.
