Diamond in the rough
by Michael Dresdner
L to R: Rodman Bolek, Jacob Tice, Bryce Smith Photos by DK Photography
Written by comedian Steve Martin, Picasso at the Lapin Agile,
now at Tacoma Little Theatre, is a seriously funny play. The lines are
brilliantly comic, the concept interesting, and the characters, if not wholly
fictional, are certainly charismatic.
The conceit is that it’s 1904 and we’re eavesdropping in a
bar visited by both Einstein and Picasso as young men, just before either of
them made his first big breakthrough. Other characters come and go primarily
for comic value, and there’s plenty of that. As for the plot, what little there
is has slim import. For the most part it’s all about setting up funny characters
in funny situations and giving them even funnier lines.
Director Rick Hornor’s pacing was briskly satisfying, and the
ensemble cast was solid. Yet, I had a nagging feeling that there was a spark of
eclat that was missing. What was good could have been greater.
That’s not to say it was not sprinkled with some great
moments. The opening absinthe/vodka exchange between barkeep Freddy (Jacob
Tice) and Einstein (Rodman Bolek) was perfect in both timing and delivery, one
of many humorous gems that sparkled in this play. An amazing piece of
brilliance from Tara Jensen as a gorky fan was another all too brief shooting
star of comic perfection. Then there was Dan Lysne in a bit part, rushing through
like a bracing breeze as an inventor with delusions of adequacy. Add in the
stolid, sensible foil Germaine (Colleen Bjurstrom) and you have my personal
handful of on-stage favorites.
L to R: Colleen Bjurstrom, Jacob Tice
As usual, the production values were very much up to par. Blake
York’s set, dazzlingly dressed and propped by Jeffrey Weaver and superbly
painted by Maggie Knott, is both beautiful and clever. In what has become
eerily familiar at this theatre lately, it not only stood out, but at times,
especially during the last scene, damned near stole the show from the actors. Costumes
by Michele Graves and lighting by Pavlina Morris were smoothly integrated and
had their own moments in the sun, the latter particularly obvious in the closing
sequence.
So, then, what’s the problem? Often, when doing Shakespeare,
directors will tell you to let the words do the work. While Steve Martin is
definitely not Shakespeare, his strength resides not in the physical acting,
but in his finely tuned comedic lines. In this case I feel the best way to let
the humor shine through is to take a more subtle, less-is-more approach as far
as the acting is concerned.
To be fair, it was only opening night, and these things have
a way of ripening with age, so don’t let that hold you back from coming to see
this more than pleasant gaggle of onstage oddballs. Focus on what is, rather
than what could have been, and you’ll still have a very funny, very
lighthearted evening of pure entertainment.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
March 13 to March 29, 2015
Tacoma Little Theatre
No comments:
Post a Comment