Hilarious historical romp
June 6-22, 2025
Directed by Rob Thurmond
7:30 PM — June 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, & 21
2:00 PM — June 8, 15, 21, & 22
Auditions: April 14 & 15
Steve Martin’s long-running, absurdist comedy places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian cafe in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism. The story plays fast and loose with facts as these two geniuses muse on the century’s prospects and other fanciful topics, with infectious dizziness. Bystanders, including Picasso’s agent, the bartender and his mistress, Picasso’s date, an elderly philosopher, and an idiot inventor introduce additional flourishes of humor.
Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Reviews
“Steve Martin’s enlightening play is equally smart and silly.” — Hartford Courant
“It’s important to remember that the playwright of Picasso at the Lapin Agile is Steve Martin, stand-up comic, actor, writer, banjo player and something of a genius in his own right. So when big questions are being addressed, you can be sure that a layer of silliness is always in place (and, subversively, a layer of seriousness beneath that).” — The New York Times
“Highly credible and… very funny. The subject matter is daring… You get giggles in plenty [and] moments of enlightenment… The introduction of the final, exquisitely selected visitor from the future is a master stroke.” — New York Post
“Consistently entertaining.” — New York Daily News
“Very engaging… Martin sends ideas onstage in baggy pants, with a cigar… mix[ing] the sublime with the ridiculous [so] that they can’t be easily disentangled… Very good fun.” — The New York Times
“A major treat.” — Newsday
About the Author
As an actor, comedian, author, playwright, screenwriter, producer and musician—Steve Martin is one of the most diversified performers and acclaimed artists of his generation. Martin has been successful as a writer of and performer in some of the most popular movies of recent film history—appearing in more than 50 films over the course of his career. With titles such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Parenthood, Father of the Bride and Cheaper by the Dozen franchises, Baby Mama and It’s Complicated, Martin’s films are the kind that are viewed again and again. Martin wrote the screenplays for some of his most celebrated films including The Jerk, Roxanne, Bowfinger, L.A. Story and Shopgirl.
Martin’s first film was a seven-minute short he wrote and starred in, The Absent-Minded Waiter. The film was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Short Film, Live Action in 1977. Martin’s work has earned him an Academy Award®, five Grammy® awards, an Emmy®, the Mark Twain Award, an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honors. He has also hosted the Academy Awards® three times. Martin began his career as a writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, for which he earned his first Emmy Award® for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety, or Music in 1969.
In the mid-1970s, Martin shone as a stand-up on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, made appearances on HBO’s On Location and NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and became the first comedian to sell out an arena performance. As one of the most celebrated comedians, Martin’s comedy album Let’s Get Small (1978) went platinum in the United States and won a Grammy® for Best Comedy Album. His second album, Wild and Crazy Guy, was a comedy album that featured his first music single “King Tut.” This album reached double platinum status in the U.S and earned Martin his second Grammy® Award for Best Comedy Album. Martin’s third comedy album, Comedy is Not Pretty, was nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Comedy Album in 1979.
Ever evolving his body of work Martin is also a Grammy® Award winning musician who found his love for the banjo at the age of 17. Martin originally used his passion for the banjo as part of his standup comedy routine, but in 2010, he released his first album, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-Strong Banjo. Since then, Martin has played many prestigious stages including Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall in London, and the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Martin released his second full length bluegrass album Rare Bird Alert in 2011. The album featured 13 Martin-penned tracks as well as special guest vocal appearances by Paul McCartney and The Dixie Chicks. Additionally, Martin co-wrote two of the CD’s songs with the Grammy®-winning bluegrass band, Steep Canyon Rangers. That year, Martin won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award.
Martin also created the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass for those who exemplify outstanding bluegrass performance. In 2013, Steve Martin released his third full-length album called Love Has Come For You, a unique collaboration with songwriter Edie Brickell. Love Has Come For You, won a Grammy® for “Best American Roots Song” for the title track and inspired the Broadway musical Bright Star. Bright Star received five Tony Award nominations and also received Outstanding New Broadway Musical and Outstanding New Score at the Outer Critics Circle Awards. Martin and Brickell’s second album together, So Familiar, was released on Rounder Records and featured 12 remarkable songs that bought the acclaimed duo’s musical collaboration into fresh creative territory. Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers recently released their newest collaboration “The Long-Awaited Album.”
As an author, Martin’s work includes the novel An Object of Beauty, the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel, a bestselling novella, Shopgirl, and his memoir Born Standing Up. His latest play, Meteor Shower is currently on Broadway in a production starring Emmy Award-winner Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti; and Jeremy Shamos, and directed by four-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks. Born in Waco, TX, in 1945, Steve Martin was raised in Southern California and began working as a comedian and magician at area amusement parks, including The Magic Shop at Disneyland. Martin went on to Santa Ana College, and then earned his Theater Arts degree from UCLA.
Buy Tickets for Picasso at the Lapin Agile
Special Opportunities:
- Opening Night Gala following the first performance
- Talk Back: Question and answer session with director and cast following Saturday matinee
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