Picasso, Einstein and Elvis walk into a bar. No, this isn’t the start of a slightly offensive joke, but the basis of the School of Theatre ‘ Dance’s latest production, Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
Albert Einstein (Adam Sowers) strolls into the Lapin Agile, settles into a seat and orders a drink. The 20th century is young, and an equally young Einstein feels the electricity of the future and the sparks of invention and passion that will come to dominate his time. For the scientist, nothing is more exciting – except maybe a woman.
He has come to the Lapin Agile to meet a woman – a woman he made plans to meet at another bar at another time.
His unique view of time and relativity sparks a conversation with the bumbling barkeep Freddy (Matt Lusk) and his hotheaded wife Germaine (Hannah Alcorn), as well as the town drunk, Gaston (Brian Hamlin). However, Einstein isn’t the only genius who frequents this particular watering hole.
A few moments behind and more than a few women ahead of the scientist is Pablo Picasso (Jonathan Colunga), a young, womanizing savant at his peak, creating paintings so powerful they call for a reevaluation of the meaning of art.
The two go head-to-head about what makes genius, whose work is more beautiful and what the 20th century holds, with a number of characters in the small bar adding their insight and opinions. The audience witnesses what it must have been like for the two to stand on the edge of the 20th century and look ahead at the profound changes they would help usher in.
Written by Steve Martin, the play blends philosophical discussions of science and art with the comedian’s usual style of humor. While the questions the play raises are interesting, the amusing characters draw the audience in, such as the optimistic and idiotic inventor Charles Dabernow Schmendiman (Michael Bishop), who has all of the excitement of Einstein and Picasso but none of the brains. Schmendiman is convinced his name will go down in history, just as soon as people can learn to pronounce it.
When a time-traveling Elvis arrives (Raygan Kelly) clad in a white suit and sunglasses, the play only raises more questions, as the topic of music is added to the mix. Though the storyline at this point is completely absurd, it is saved somewhat by Kelly’s surprisingly good performance of the King – those blue suede shoes are awfully hard to fill, but Kelly does it well.
Intellectually stimulating and sprinkled with random bouts of irrationality, the play strikes an interesting balance between humor and intelligence. The actors are adept at managing this dynamic, though, and quickly bounce back and forth between jokes and profound statements without their lines seeming unlikely. As the sex-driven artist, Colunga is particularly good at this, evoling both the painter’s love of women and passion for his art.
Equally impressive are the set and costumes for the play. The bar is fully stocked and adorned in period pieces, and the characters’ costumes are phenomenal.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile runs April 11-13 at the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre. Tickets are $7 for students, $12 for UH faculty and staff, $10 for seniors and $15 general admission. For more information, visit www.theatredance.uh.edu.
