Picasso at the Lapin Agile
is a play written by Steve Martin in 1993. It features the characters of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, who meet at a bar called the Lapin Agile (Nimble Rabbit) in Montmartre, Paris. It is set on October 8, 1904, and both men are on the verge of an amazing idea (Einstein will publish his special theory of relativity in 1905 and Picasso will paint Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in 1907) when they find themselves at the Lapin Agile, where they have a lengthy debate about the value of genius and talent while interacting with a host of other characters.
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PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE TICKETS
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Productions
This was the first full-length play written by
Steve Martin. The first reading of the play took place in
Beverly Hills, California at Steve Martin's home, with
Tom Hanks reading the role of
Pablo Picasso and
Chris Sarandon reading the role of
Albert Einstein. Martin then held a nine-day professional workshop of the play in
Melbourne, Australia, at the
Malthouse Theatre (in conjunction with
Belvoir St Theatre), which ended with two public staged readings of the play. Following this, the play opened at the
Steppenwolf Theatre Company in
Chicago, Illinois, on October 13, 1993
[1]. The show then enjoyed a successful run at the Westwood Playhouse (now known as the
Geffen Playhouse) in
Los Angeles, California. Finally, the show made its way to
New York City. The play has also had successful runs in other American cities.
Martin made several attempts to create a film version of the play, but none came to fruition. On November 27, 2006 Martin stated on his website that "there is no movie of
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
in the works."
[2]
Controversy
The play was pulled from
La Grande High School in
La Grande,
Oregon in March 2009 following a parent-led petition of 137 names opposed to the staging of the play. The petitioners objected to some of the adult themes and content, in response to which Martin wrote that the students knew that the "questionable behaviour sometimes evident in the play is not endorsed." In his letter to the
La Grande Observer, he compared the characterization that the play is about "people drinking in bars and treating women as sex objects" to characterising Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' as being "about a castle". Martin has responded to the banning of the play at La Grande High School with an offer to underwrite a production of the play at an alternate location, stating he does not want the play to "[acquire] a reputation it does not deserve."
[3]
Analysis
Each character in
Lapin Agile
performs a specific function. For example, Schmendiman, an inventor, believes he is a genius but really knows very little, while Gaston, an amicable old Frenchman with prostate problems, is hesitant to listen to or believe anything that does not revolve around sex or drinking.
There's much discussion of the shaping of the twentieth century. Picasso obviously represents art, Einstein represents science, and Schmendiman represents commercialism.
Picasso and Einstein eventually realize that their abilities are equally valuable.
Once the main characters have had their moment of insight, "The Visitor," a man from the future, crashes the party. Although the Visitor is never named, his identity can be surmised by his
blue suede shoes, among other things. The Visitor adds a third dimension to Picasso and Einstein's debate, representing the idea that genius is not always the product of academic or philosophical understanding, or as Gaston refers to it, "Brains".
Martin has written: "Focusing on Einstein’s
Special Theory of Relativity and Picasso’s master painting,
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
, the play attempts to explain, in a light-hearted way, the similarity of the creative process involved in great leaps of imagination in art and science."
[4]
Cast, in order of appearance
Freddy, the owner and bartender of the Lapin Agile
Gaston, an older man
Germaine, waitress and Freddy's girlfriend
Albert Einstein, age twenty-five
Suzanne, nineteen
Sagot, Picasso's art dealer
Pablo Picasso, age twenty-three
Charles Dabernow Schmendiman, a young man
The Countess
A female admirer
A visitor
Footnotes
fr:Picasso at the Lapin Agile