A scientist and an artist walk into a bar. Sounds like the start to a good joke, right?
Celebrity comedian, actor and screenwriter Steve Martin certainly thought so. A meeting of the minds between Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a famed Parisian cafe led to the absurd comedy "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" and Martin's first original full-length play to hit the theatrical stage.
Since its initial performance in Chicago in 1993, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" has successfully made its way to playhouses in Los Angeles, New York City and other cities across the U.S. Now, Scene One Theatre will bring Martin's play to local audiences at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8-10 and 15-17 at its new location, 623 Ohio St.
Despite the hilarity of Einstein and Picasso's imagined encounter at Lapin Agile, the actual, famous cabaret in the Montmartre district of Paris was a favorite spot for artists and writers like Picasso. Established in 1860, Lapin Agile went under previous names, such as its original title, "Au Rendezvous des Voleurs," and "Cabaret des Assassins" some 20 years later when portraits of famous murderers decorated the walls.
"'Au Rendezvous des Voleurs' translates to a meeting of thieves, and in the middle of the 19th century, this bar was a hangout for criminals," said Jack Renner, veteran local actor and director for "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." "Then the pictures of thieves were taken down and pictures of murders were put on the wall, giving it its new name. Then artist Andre Gill decided to paint over several of the portraits and make a portrait of a rabbit coming out of a frying pan and carrying a wine bottle."
The residents began calling the cabaret Le Lapin a Gill, meaning "Gill's rabbit." It evolved into "Lapin Agile," or the nimble rabbit. The name stuck and so did its clientele of artists, writers and other eccentrics who enjoyed the local nightclub.
In Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," Albert Einstein, played locally by Terry Schoonover, is looking for a girl and ends up in Lapin Agile, finding out Pablo Picasso, played locally by Joe Schneider, is arriving at the bar.
"Einstein wants to meet him, and he does. The conversation between them is the crux of the play," Renner said.
Renner said the more serious, fascinating part of the play is time in which Einstein, a soon-to-be renowned scientist on the brink of transforming physics with his theory of relativity and Picasso, a successful painter about to change art with his introduction of cubism, meet.
"It is rather interesting that they came together, two people with directly opposing views to each other. They go after things in different ways, but end up agreeing with each other," Renner said.
Bystanders help feed the hilarity and conversation among the two important persons, including the bar owner and bartender Freddy (played by Barry Beach), Freddy's girlfriend and waitress Germaine (played by Tammy Acosta), Suzanne (played by Katherine Moore) and Picasso's art dealer Sagot (played by Doug Richardson).
There is also an "idiot inventor" Charles Dabernow Schmendiman, played by Rich Burdge, and an older man Gaston, played by Mark Miles, who provide comedy that is most reflective of Martin.
"Gaston is kind of the comic relief of the show, and he has a lot of Steve Martin style lines. One of my favorite lines is from Gaston," Renner said. "Schmendiman also talks and delivers lines much like Steve Martin would. With Steve Martin, you can't stand to get away from it. It's going to be funny."
Renner said there are also smaller but important characters in the play, with Megan Sappington playing the countess, Erin Matteson, a female admirer, and Chris Kennison playing a visitor to Lapin Agile.
Even though he had not seen a live production of "Picasso at Lapin Agile," Renner has wanted to present the play in which he has read for the last year and a half. He was just waiting for the right cast to present the show at Scene One Theatre.
"I wanted to find some people that could do Pablo and Einstein and do them justice; I found that in Terry and Joe. Then all these other wonderful people showed up and I have a tremendous, full cast," Renner said. "They are just all right for their roles. It has just been an amazing play, and we have had a lot of fun putting it together."
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8-10 and 15-17 at Scene One Theatre. Tickets are $15 per person. To reserve seats email [email protected] or call 573-635-6713. For more information, visit sceneonetheatre.com or visit them on Facebook, @sceneonetheatre.