Steve Martin is one of America's most treasured actors, having appeared in some of the most popular moves of our time. He is also an accomplished screenwriter who has in the past few years turned his hand to writing plays. The results, collected here, hilariously explore serious questions of love, happiness and the meaning of life; they are rich with equal parts of pain and slapstick humour, torment and wit.
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Ever wonder what it would have been like if wild and crazy Steve Martin had written an episode of "The Twilight Zone"? Well, wonder no more. The zany actor/comedian made playwright rookie of the year with this, the script of his first comedy, set in a bar in 1904 Paris. Two of the regulars, twentysomethings Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein, argue about the art of physics and the physics of art as they try to impress and bed a pretty girl. And then the space/time/culture continuum ruptures, and they're joined by a figure from the future who seems to be . . . Elvis Presley! Read for yourself why the show's been done Off-Broadway and at regionals around the country.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Actor-comedian Martin is also an accomplished writer of screenplays, short stories, and now stage plays. The present work is his first full-length play and has enjoyed commercial success in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. It depicts an imaginary meeting of Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein in 1904 Paris, exploring the impact of art and science on our rapidly changing society. A surprise visit by Elvis adds some satiric commentary from a late-20th-century perspective. Among the other three short plays is Wasp, a stinging look at idealized 1950s suburban life. Though not essential, this is recommended for modern drama collections in larger public and academic libraries.?Howard E. Miller, M.L.S., St. Louis
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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By Craig
Format:Paperback
This play epitemizes the term "sophomoric." I mean, you get a play with Picasso and Einstein in it, it must be important and brilliant, right? But the ideas are half-baked, and the gags not nearly as good as a good sit-com. Martin should stick to movie acting and go back to stand up.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Yes, it's that Steve Martin -- the wacky guy from "Naked Gun." The actor comedian pens some remarkably witty and imaginative stagework in "Picasso at the Lapin Agile And Other Plays." Two of the four plays are way too brief, but the longer works sparkle with wit and weirdness.
"Picasso At The Lapin Agile" brings two geniuses to the Lapin Agile: Picasso and Einstein, both young men in 1904. A clever round of discussion starts from there, with the two great men examining science and the culture around them. There are two one-act plays; the first is "Zig-Zag Woman," which is about an emotionally desperate women whose body is in three pieces and her conversations with three men.
The second one-act is "Patter For the Floating Lady," a surreal bit about a magician levitating his former love. "WASP" is perhaps the most biting, hilarious play of this collection -- a dark satire of the white-bread middle-classes of the 1950s. Martin expertly lampoons the religious, social, and cultural conventions of the WASPs of the time, with a father who doesn't know best, a pair of troublemaking kids, and a homemaker mom who talks with the voices in her head.
Martin's plays are both cynical and silly (he identifies a luxury item as "a thing you have that annoys other people that you have it"), with plenty of humor both dark and light. The two shorter works are the weakest. While "Patter" has some sweet, sad moments, these are too brief and unformed to make as much of an impression.
But "Picasso" and "WASP" are gems. The first is philosophical pondering, lightened with plenty of humor and an Elvis cameo. The second is dark absurdist satire that is more openly goofy. Don't think that just because Martin is a comedian that these are fluff -- he develops his characters with an expert hand. Yes, even the really silly ones (like the WASP Dad).
"Picasso At The Lapin Agile And Other Plays" is a solid collection of plays, more complex and deep than they sound. Intelligent and whimsical, this is the world through Martin's twisted brain.
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed reading the play. What made it even better was seeing the play a few months later. I definitely recommend reading the book before it is on stage. This plays particularly appeals to anyone who's interested in clever dialogs and has a wild imagination.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
for la_solinas
Steve Martin was never in the Naked Gun movies. You are thinking of a far less skilled actor and comedian, Leslie Neilson. If I were Steve, I'd be offended.
Published on Jun 29 2004 by Sean Doyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
1 good, 1 OK, and 2 Ugly
Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a wonderful play, with a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humor, dry wit, and intelligent riddles. Read more
Published on Mar 28 2002 by "plattypus"
5.0 out of 5 stars
e-shaped pie
picasso has to be the wittiest play i've ever seen performed. Such intelligent humor. The jokes sometimes take awhile to get, but once you get them they're worth it. Read more
Published on Mar 2 2002
4.0 out of 5 stars
No title, jus funny plays
Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a very funny play. The other pieces are good, too, but Picasso is the best of the bunch. Read more
Published on Jan 19 2002 by Jeff South
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Picasso and Einstein go into a bar....
The play isn't nearly as "heady" as it sounds, however it is just as intelligent. It isn't necessary to have read Einstein's theories, nor is an appreciation of Picasso... Read more
Published on Jan 2 2002 by R. Scott Dunlap
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Is So Great
I've never seen any of the plays performed, but I like them so much, I'm getting ready to stage my own take on these plays.
Published on Aug 6 2001 by Joe Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars
Picasso's worth the purchase price
Steve Martin's ability to create memorable characters is astounding. He's done it from the start since the days of his stage act, through his appearances on Saturday Night Live,... Read more
Published on July 24 2001 by Glen Eric Reed
4.0 out of 5 stars
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
To be honest, I don't actually own this book. I have however performed the play 'Picasso at the Lapin Agile', and found it to be one of the best contemporary plays I had ever... Read more
Published on July 16 2001 by "jonadams2"
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious, but a little jokey for the stage
I played Gaston (the comic relief) in a college production of "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" and think that it's one of the wittiest and funniest plays of the last 10... Read more
Published on April 30 2001 by Scott Eckert
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Picasso at the Lapin Agile" - art meets smart
I haven't read the other plays yet, but I just finished reading 'Picasso' yesterday. I laughed out loud several times. Read more
Published on Mar 21 2001 by Andrew Gilmore
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