E=mc flair

If you’re looking to have a truly pleasurable evening, make the drive to South Lake Tahoe’s Valhalla Boathouse Theatre to attend a performance of Steve Martin’s first original play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

The theater and its location are a treat. Sitting lakeside just outside Camp Richardson on the Tallac Historic Site, the turn-of-the-century converted boathouse has been beautifully restored from its original purpose into a lovely arena in which to view live performances. It features a lofty, rough-hewn wooden ceiling, which provides great acoustics.

The setting is comfortably intimate, which works well for Picasso. It occasionally calls for a break in the actor-audience and stage-offstage barriers; time and again, the actors walk the aisle and address the audience directly.

Set in 1904, the play takes place in the Lapin Agile, a Paris nightspot that was popular with artists such as Pablo Picasso at the turn of the century. The plot revolves around a fictional meeting between Albert Einstein and Picasso, and later, a “singer” (whose name should not be divulged at the risk of ruining the finale).

These icons of art, science and music—surrounded by a small and lively cast of characters—discuss the interplay of the arts with science, relations between men and woman, and the just-begun 20th century, with poignant and sometimes cheeky dialogue.

The performance lasts for an hour and a half and is comprised only of dialogue. There is no intermission and no scene changes … and it works. Such simplicity allows the audience to fully enjoy Martin’s smart and jaunty script and the actors’ fine performances.

During opening night, the audience was attentive, and laughter was abundant. Though all the characters were nicely acted, there were a few standouts. Of note was Catherine Hearn, who played three parts: Picasso’s “lady-in-waiting” Suzanne, a countess and a “female admirer.” As Suzanne, Hearn drew the audience in with her tender accounts of Picasso and garnered laughs with a squeaky, high voice and perfect comic timing. She held the stage as the captivating countess. She got an uproarious reaction as an admirer of a foolish inventor.

Peter Coates as the bartender Freddy, a character present from beginning to end, did a fine job pacing the play; he provided a soothing and amusing baseline to the performance, which the other characters easily played off. Jason Macy turned in an adorable and solid portrayal of Albert Einstein. Stan Bautista (also the play’s producer) as the zany Schmendiman and Tom Callahan as the “singer” added just the right amounts of high energy and comic relief called for at the end of the play.

Picasso has many fine elements. From its location to the fabulous script to the enjoyable acting, attending the Valhalla Players rendition of Picasso at the Lapin Agile is certain to be a wonderful experience.