Critique Of Picasso At The Lapin Agile
Mansur Amin
Period 1
English 12B
Mr. Vaez
Critique of Picasso at the Lapin Agile
Written by Steve Martin and directed by Brien Lang, Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a play located at the Lapin Agile, in Paris. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, both young, headstrong and passionate, come together in a fictitious meeting devised in the comic mind of Steve Martin. It's bohemian Paris, at the turn of the century and everything has fallen quiet to listen to a conversation of exquisite topics. Does art matter? Can science touch the heart? Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder? Did Einstein and Picasso really only excel in their chosen fields in order to get girls? With a little help from a mysterious, visitor from the future (based on order of appearance) these topics get debated in one of the best possible environments, the bar of the “scurrying rabbit”.
Steve Martins sense of humor is very immense in size, based on the bars name. By calling it the Lapin Agile (meaning scurrying rabbit) Martin is foreshadowing an unattainable theme to his play. He has a great sense of humor by calling it this and is very organized throughout the play, by placing hints all throughout the play, about the message of his play.
Freddy is the bar tender of the Lapin Agile and is set on stage directions. When Einstein walks in, he realizes something was off and he points out later that, “In order of appearance. You’re not third. You’re fourth (11)”. By breaking that third wall between the audience and the play, Martin makes a very humorous act and allows one of his characters to use the play pamphlet to site the location of the casts’ order of appearance. With his successful attempt to achieve humor by breaking the wall between the audience and the actors, Martin can be understood to be triumphant at his attempts to create humor. Then, after Freddy’s citation to the cast in order of appearance, that wall between the actors and audience is set back in place. This is some funny...
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