‘Piccasso at the Lapin Agile’ sold out by weekend

“Piccasso at the Lapin Agile,” a play by Steve Martin, took the stage at that the Studio Theatre at Saddleback College this past week.

The Lapin Agile is a famous bar that is located in Paris, France and was built in 1855. The bar was known for its crowds of people, that included many famous struggling artists and writers. Renown artists like Pablo Piccaso, Amedeo Modiglinii, Guillaume Apollinare and Maurice Utrillo would frequent the bar.

The bar is still very much alive and is a frequent hot spot for tourists to visit. Steve Martin visited the Lapin Agile, which sparked his idea to create a play about Piccaso, Albert Einstein and Elvis Presley meeting. The hypothetical meeting takes place at the Lapin Agile, where the three men discuss and periodically argue over whose more talented.

“Each in their own field I believe was about the same level of break through genius, each created a whole new concept and redirected the course of the century, one with art and one with science,” Bob Faw (Gaston) said. ” I think thats really the point that Steven Martiin was really pulling together here. Its not so much that they were the same but they were equivalent and that mathematical concept that in their own field they were both break through. ”

The dispute between the artists in the play was comical, but ended with a message that emphasized the importance of each man and how they shaped the 20th century. The play did however include a lot of humor, sex and drama in getting its message across.

” I think there might be a little more respect because I don’t think Piccaso would straight up say he’s ‘thinking about sex’ all the time,” Nikolas Marcinov (Einstein) said.

It is no wonder that the theater was sold out all weekend. Piccaso (Chester Jensen), was quite the heartthrob and stole many hearts throughout the play. Jensen was a natural, and played the role well. However, he was seemingly awkward while kissing the leading ladies.

” I actually really loved it, my boyfriend is Piccaso,” attendee Elle Grant said.

Taking on the roles of  such influential people seems difficult and I wondered how much research went into fulfilling such roles.

“I found out that Albert Einstein didn’t like to wear socks, : Marcinov said. “His IQ was only 160 something, which in today modern age many people have higher IQs than him but he is still considered one of the best thinkers of all time.”

Marcinov was in fact wearing socks but that did not stop him from acting out his lines of difficult math equations with a thick German accent. In going backstage, he was true to his character, still in full costume and answering questions with a German accent. After the interview he removed his wig and accent.

“Im glad I wasn’t casted as Einstein, I would not have gotten the math down and I am pretty sure Einstein was short,” Seth Forkish (Schmendiman) said.

“Hey!” Marcinov said in response.

The actors in the play were in good spirits and joked with one another. It proved how important chemistry is on and off stage. The adaptation of Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”  is  a worthy representation of the department of theater arts at Saddleback College.

The play runs March 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on March 15 and 22 at 2:30 p.m., in the college’s Studio Theatre.

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