picasso at the lapin agile

Run dates:  August 20-23 & 27-30, 2026

Directed by Jennifer Kingry

Comedian Steve Martin’s long-running Off-Broadway absurdist play of historical fiction is set in a Parisian café called the Lapin Agile (“Nimble Rabbit”) in the year 1904. In walks a struggling artist, Pablo Picasso, and a would-be genius, Albert Einstein. The two soon-to-be-legendary men, whose egos are as big as their intellects, spar with each other and the bar’s regulars about art, science, inspiration, love, and the promise of the 20th century. Throw into the mix the arrival of a mysterious visitor from the future with a penchant for blue suede shoes, and you’re in for a brilliant and infectiously dizzy evening of theatre. In his first comedy for the stage, Steve Martin excels with goofy wordplay and convention-flouting twists that feel like a kid discovering new toys. The result is crisp humor, contemplative characters and a wholly imaginative story that delights from beginning to end. Cubism and Relativity have never been funnier. 

Freddy – (male, age flexible) Owner and bartender of the Lapin Agile; boyfriend of Germaine; seems to be a simple-minded man but occasionally says something truly stunning.

Gaston – (male, 60’s) An abrupt and direct old Frenchman with prostate problems, who talks plainly and seems to care only about sex and drinking.

Germaine – (female, age flexible) Waitress at the Lapin Agile, Freddy's girlfriend, a very thoughtful and beautiful woman. She has many ideas of what the 20th century will be like, and has slept with Picasso.

Albert Einstein – (male, mid-20’s) A young scientist with big aspirations; a genius, with a book on the way called The Special Theory of Relativity. Often finds himself having to explain his theories and thoughts in a simpler fashion to the rest of the group, as he is wise beyond his years.

Suzanne – (female, 20’s) A beautiful young woman who is infatuated with Picasso. Suzanne and Picasso have already slept together, and she is left hurt and angry when he does not remember her.

Sagot – (could be male or female, age flexible but probably 35-50’s) Picasso's art dealer, who is obsessed with finding and selling great pieces of art for profit.

Pablo Picasso – (male, 20’s) A talented and charismatic young painter. Extremely egotistical and self-confident, he is a serial womanizer and master of manipulation.

Charles Dabernow Schmendiman – (male) A young inventor with huge dreams and little knowledge. Though hardworking, he is overshadowed by the genius and talent of Einstein and Picasso.

The Countess – (female, mid-20’s-mid-30’s) An extremely intelligent and attractive woman, with whom Einstein is infatuated. She thinks like he does, being the one person in the play to really understand him.

A Female Admirer – (female, late teens or 20’s) A young admirer Picasso assumes is a fan of his, but who turns out to be an admirer of Schmendiman.

The Visitor – (male, mid-20’s) A polite and talented country-boy time-traveler and blue-suede-shoed musician, who adds another dimension and point of view to Einstein's and Picasso's debate.

Director – Jennifer Kingry

Stage Manager –

Set Builder – 

Light & Sound Design–