Picasso at the Lapin Agile

A comedy/fantasy by Steve Martin

Director Valerie Gerrard

Commemoration Hall 21-23 November 2013.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a comedy written by comedian, actor, writer, director and producer, Steve Martin.  It takes place in an artsy bar in Paris in 1904.  Picasso was a fairly regular customer and it is known that Einstein frequented the bar in his younger days.  The play fantasises the two meeting there at a pivotal time in their careers.  The meeting takes place one year before Einstein published his special theory of relativity and three years before Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, which was a radical diversion from traditional European art and is considered to be the start of cubism and of modern art.

The play tells the story of their meeting and the quirky Parisians who witness it.  Actually ‘quirky’ is a good word to describe this play, which is also funny and somewhat surreal.

The characters, although eccentric, are full and real and very human.  As well as humour, the play has a very real warmth and speculates on human nature as well as the nature of genius.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile was performed by Huntingdon Drama Club 12 years ago, but never appeared at the Commemoration Hall (one performance was held at RAF Alconbury, in conjunction with USAF 423 Base Squadron Community, and the other performance was ‘supper theatre’ at the Medway Centre. See cast list here.

 Cast List

Rehearsal Photos

All photographs by Dr. Pat Doody