Picasso Paints Watered Down Comedy at Lapin

Since the world first came to know Steve Martin as the oddball comic playing magic tricks and the banjo to sold-out stadiums across the country, the congenial funny man has never ceased to impress both the masses and the literati with his multitude of talents, be it actor, author and even playwright.  In the early '90s Martin penned a pleasing stage comedy, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, pitting two renowned geniuses against each other during a random night in a French bar, one from the artistic world while the other hailed from the scientific community. 

It is the timeless question, what would happen if Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein were to meet before either of their careers took off into the annals of history?  Okay, perhaps nobody in their right mind ever dreamed up such a situation, but to Martin's credit, what plays out on stage is an amusing meeting of great minds, full of chuckles and giggles.  Try as it might, profound revelations are slightly dulled by the sketch show quality of the intermissionless play, yet such ideas are presented.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which recently opened at the Rubicon Theatre under the direction of William Keeler, is an interesting exploration of the profound mixed with the absurd, as the two main characters, Picasso and Einstein, represent the opposite ends of creativity, rarely coming together on any one matter. 

If playground antics have proven anything, it is that science geeks and theatre nerds play on different sides of the yard.  Yet, for one magically imagined night, those two forces find a way to converge and contemplate the 20th century, each on the verge of realizing their own greatness.

Stepping into the womanizing shoes of Picasso is Paul Provenza, who is no stranger to the role having played the part off-Broadway.  His intensity as an artist struggling with a fractured look at the world around him is fascinating, as he constantly brushes his performance with antics lending to laughs rather than fright, as is seen in a steamy run in with his recent conquest Suzanne (a darling Amie Ferrell).

Jamie Torcellini as the anti-artist, Einstein, is a scene-stealer with his almost drowsy humor.  Stepping into The Lapin Agile, one scene too soon, as one character proclaims during a fourth-wall breakdown, Torcellini plays a man sure of his genius, proud and ready to put his powerful mind on display for even the most trivial task, including an accounting job beyond the barkeep's  (Marty Lodge) layman ability.

The premise is meant to argue how creativity in any form is a work of art, as Einstein's soon to be published "Theory of Relativity" changes the world nearly equally as Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.  Each propelled the world into a modern age, both in art and science, forever altering the way every person understood their surroundings.

Martin's intriguing exploration of two great minds meeting remains, however, lowbrow humor that begins to wear thin, especially so during a time traveling Elvis character (Cyrus Alexander) plunking into the bar to further play up the contrasts of creativity.  There is enough to laugh about in Picasso at the Lapin Agile to keep audiences pleased, and thanks to Martin, also slightly engaged in the argument.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile plays through April 27 at the Rubicon Theatre.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 805-667-2900 or online at www.rubicontheatre.org.  And for more from James Sims visit www.simsscoop.com. 

Photos by Tiffany Israel, Brooks Institute of Photography (1) Amie Farrell, Mark Murphey, Jamie Torcellini, Nancy Nufer and Marty Lodge (2) Jamie Torcellini and Paul Provenza with cast.