Picasso at the Lapin Agile

by Steve Martin

It’s October, 1904 in Paris, France. Young Albert Einstein and young Pablo Picasso meet at a bar to discuss philosophy, politics and women.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Humor, Theatre, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Comedy

78 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician, and composer. He was raised in Southern California in a Baptist family, where his early influences were working at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm and working magic and comedy acts at these and other smaller venues in the area. His ascent to fame picked up when he became a writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and later became a frequent guest on the Tonight Show.

In the 1970s, Martin performed his offbeat, absurdist comedy routines before packed houses on national tours. In the 1980s, having branched away from stand-up comedy, he became a successful actor, playwright, and juggler, and eventually earned Emmy, Grammy, and American Comedy awards.

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could dream it forever and still not do it, but when the time comes for it to be done, God, I want to be ready for it, to be ready for the moment of convergence between the thing done and the doing of it, between the thing to be made and its maker. At that moment, I am speaking for everyone; I am dreaming for the billions yet to come; I am taking the part of us that cannot be understood by God, and letting it bleed from the wrist onto the canvas. And it can only be made, because I have felt these things: my lust, my greed, my hatred, my happiness. So this is what it's like.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile ~~ Steve Martin


3.5/5

I like Picasso at the Lapin Agile; I don’t love it. I feel this partly because I’ve never seen a good production of it. Most directors don’t understand the source material. They think of this as being an edgy play by that wild and crazy guy who had a top 10 hit with King Tut. They forget that the writer Steve Martin is not the same guy as the comedian Steve Martin. I do wonder what this idea could have become in the hands of Woody Allen...

Alas, not all the pieces here fit together. Take the character of Albert Einstein ~~ here he becomes a parody of himself.

And let’s not forget Picasso ~~ for a man who spent his life bragging about his genius to world, he comes across as uninteresting and flat ~~ very flat.



At the Lapin Agile is undeniably entertaining ~~ but it never quite finds its voice. Much of what could have been brilliant, deep conversations are often lost underneath carefully crafted dialogue and increasingly surreal events. Martin sets out to explore the nature of genius and creativity, but this exploration becomes muddled by the time a time traveling Elvis shows up ~~ complete with blue suede shoes .



At the Lapin Agile is an undeniably well-written, funny play ~~ the script even makes me laugh out loud when reading it. Sadly, the one-sided caricatures of Picasso and Einstein themselves, along with dialogue filled with references only the over 50 crowd would understand keep this from being a great play rather than a good play.

In the end, At the Lapin Agile is a play where the spokes have no hub to connect them. Perhaps the script is too self-aware. I would expect this script to take risks and push boundaries. The surreal moments seem thrown in to save a floundering playwright who isn't quite sure where to take his script.

At the Lapin Agileis an okay script. But I expected so much more than okay from Steve Martin.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book includes "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" which was censored recently when my hometown high school in La Grande, OR tried to perform it under the directorship of Mr. Kevin Cahill. After much bruhaha, the school board decided not to perform it, and the local college, Eastern Oregon University, tried to follow suit when Mr. Cahill and the students turned to them. The Democratic student group petitioned the college and the play will indeed be performed, but without all of the props and materials they had already put into it at LHS. Steve Martin came forward a few days later, and in a letter to the local paper, he offered to pay for the performance and what funds are leftover will be put in a scholarship for student thespians.

I read a few of these plays in the 1990s, but had not read "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." I remember Martin's plays as interesting and quite good, but this time around, I really loved "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" for it's exploration of discovery, inspiration in art and science. That and I love Steve Martin's style, who breaks the fourth wall frequently and absurdly. I have not yet seen them performed, but will be going to see "Picasso..." when it is performed by the LHS students.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most phenomenal book Steve Martin has ever written. I suspect a lot of people would be surprised by the poignancy and bereft tone the permeates through these plays. But you have to remember he also wrote "LA Story," and there are some utterly heartbroken and masterfully passionate parts in that movie.

This is Steve Martin unlike I'd ever seen before and remains my favorite thing he's ever given us.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Martin tricked me with this book of plays. They were so awesome and fabulous and funny and smart on the page that I thought I'd go see some of them, which didn't work out so well.

The first was really my own fault. Even if the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile was a witty philosophical rumination on the nature of art, science, the 20th century and human nature set as a conversation between Picasso, Einstein and Elvis over drinks perfectly executed on the page, I should have known better than to see it in a community theater on the busmall in Vancouver Washington.

The second time I saw a Steve Martin play, it was his "update" of a turn of the century German sex-farce called The Underpants. I hadn't read it previous. It was not good enough to be in this book.

The moral of this story is that the pages of this book are gold, but that doesn't mean productions or other Steven Martin plays will be.

[Yourfiendmrjones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 1st in the collection is the best. But overall, Martin shows off his driving concerns- magic and creativity versus the mundane. It all tracks for a waspy guy who has always been an organic mix of the vulgar of showbiz and the poetry of art and philosophy. So the real treat in this collection is in reading the shorter plays that take on the search for love through the art of stage magic. Even the longest of the short pieces “W.A.S.P.” has the sweet magical realism that shoots through everything he writes here as it looks at a family’s struggle for love amid what it’s been told normal should be. Just. Great.

[R. Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know of quite a few people who are familiar with Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which is a fine play, though the real treasure of this book is the one-act plays accompanying it. WASP in particular is riotously funny; when I was an actor I read from it for auditions. The Zig Zag woman requires several live magic tricks to be performed onstage in addition to the play itself, adding a wonderful extra element that you wouldn't normally expect to see onstage.

These plays are much more in the voice of Steve Martin the comedian, as opposed to his far more serious novellas. That can be a bad thing and a good thing—they're very difficult to immerse yourself in (especially if you're reading the plays rather than seeing them onstage) because you can't help but picture the words coming from Steve Martin's mouth, but Steve Martin's mouth says a lot of hilarious things.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a collection of plays written by Steve Martin. The headliner, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, is stellar. It imagines a bar in France where one day Picasso and Einstein find themselves meeting & discussing their lives, their worlds and their ideas. A surprise guest at the end shows the two of them who is really in charge of human destiny. Other plays, WASP for example, are hilarious and equally deserving of top billing. Worth it alone for the conversation about hell between a young student and his father.

NC

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

In case anyone doubts the serious craft and intelligence that goes into Steve Martin's humor, they should read this stat. Lapin Agile is slapstick and wistful at the same time, sophisticated and erudite and witty but also accessible. It takes way more brains than I will ever have to put Picasso and Einstein in the same room and make it as hilarious as this play.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t find this funny and doubt that it would have been produced (much less given a second glance) but for the author being Steve Martin.

The play centers on a fictional meeting between Einstein and Picasso in 1904. It is neither as funny nor as intelligent as it thinks it is. It’s one of those plays that keeps winking at the audience (see how clever we all are?!).

There are so many brilliant playwrights – so many unheralded plays that are funnier, smarter and effortlessly clever – that reading Picasso at the Lapin Agile mostly angered and annoyed me. Not recommended.

[Kristine Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw Picasso at the Lapin Agile many years ago at CanStage. It was excellent! Reading the play was also very good and funny. The other plays in this short volume are more downcast - dealing with failures in relationships.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this tonight at my book group. The play was witty and fun, but what added to the pleasure was having each of us take a part and read it out loud. Characters included Picasso and Einstein. A very creative idea for a night at book group! Lots of laughs from the always humorous Steve Martin.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a solid play. I wanted to like it more than I did. Favorite Quote, "I could dream it forever and still not do it, but when the time comes for it to be done, God, I want to be ready for it."

[Kelly]

Found, basically brand new, at book sale!

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume actually contains four short plays and I’d been wanting to read the title piece since it was staged in New York, but I just picked this up a couple of weeks ago. I’d heard it was brilliant and funny, but as much as I love Steve Martin and enjoyed his novella ‘Shopgirl’ I’d say ‘Picasso’, while interesting was a cup shy of brilliant and funny. And for the other pieces, I hated the last one ‘Wasp’ it was the worst piece of drivel and non sequitur junk, if he was aiming for ‘Godot’ greatness he missed. The two in the middle ‘The Zig Zag Woman’ and ‘Patter for the Floating Lady’ each had a couple of good speeches and some underlying good motivation but not great. No, I would say that ‘Picasso’ is the best of the bunch. It has a couple of fresh conventions but he takes them over the top at the end. The ending just fizzles out like really flat champagne. It’s going to be done and UWSP this fall, and I’m curious if a director can find bits to add that aren’t scripted that can put feet on it. I generally like smart and esoteric theater literature, but this left me wanting a rewrite. Too bad.

[Douglas Cosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels like a lite version of Tom Stoppard; in particular, this is similar to the Waiting For Godot aspect of Rosencrantz, but in this case Picasso actually does show up. However, the thing I really enjoyed about Lapin Agile is that Martin breaks many of the rules and tropes of traditional absurdist drama, either on purpose or because he doesn't care / know better, but either way, it was a breath of fresh air. For instance, instead of ending the play with deeper and deeper subtle dialog amongst the main characters, he just says "screw it" and has Elvis show up. And it works. I really enjoyed this play.

[Juliette II · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this play more every time I read/see it. Steve Martin has the capacity to discuss the biggest ideas in the most human way. Funny and touching. Single set that can be as simple or elaborate as desired. Required two paintings (or perhaps projections). Period costumes but creative approaches can keep the budget low. Male heavy cast but a couple decent female roles. Some small roles if you’re looking to provide opportunities to new people.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I only read “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” I don’t know anything about the other plays, lol)

I can’t wait to perform in this show as Sagot the art dealer in a few months! This is such a beautiful script; it’s actually less laugh-out-loud funny than I expected from Steve Martin; the humor is more witty and sharp. There are also some very profound and beautifully written lines about the creative process and the nature of inspiration.

[Bonnieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read. Martin keeps the dialogue lively, the people fun and quirky, and the reader interested in this fictional view of Picasso and Einstein meeting, talking, and hanging out at a bar for the length of the play. Martin proves himself an excellent writer in this short piece, with seriousness and silliness combining for an intriguing group of characters as well as an engaging story.

[Susan Liston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, maybe I missed something. I have always liked Steve Martin. I am fine with oddball anachronistic humor, I've written things in that vein myself. Why did I find this completely unfunny? A 60 year old man's running joke is "I have to pee."? I'm sorry, maybe it needs to be seen and not read, a couple of times I did think, I bet this part plays well on stage.

(have to ask my sister about it, she's seen it I know, at the Westwood Playhouse. But she was on a famously bad date (I'll just tell about the finale) with a gentleman she refers to as "Uncle Fester" I'm afraid to ask why. Uncle Fester had a cold, and insisted on bringing a full size box of Kleenex into the theatre with him. When the lights came up, all around them were piles and piles of used Kleenex he had just tossed aside at will. Other patrons had to wade distastefully through the mess, while my sister tried to pretend she had never seen Uncle Fester before in her life. So the actual play has never figured in the story. UPDATE: I asked her, she said the play was weird, but she enjoyed it. In spite of Uncle Fester)

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been privy to read two of Martin's plays (the first performing in WASP) and Martin has the unfortunate ability to hook me with his interesting premise and then completely blow it up with an outlandish turn that makes the experience less exciting.

[kameryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually so fun to read

[Stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

picasso at the lapin agile, you will always be one of my favorite plays

[James Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, let me put it this way: Steve Martin is weird. Good weird, to be sure, but weird.

Do NOT read this if you're looking for some yucks. Do read this if you're looking for something that'll make you think. Less "The Crucible" and more "Waiting for Godot". Now, if you enjoy plays like Godot, then go for it. Martin, here, is putting on his best and shiniest metaphorical expressions, this time in play form.

Enjoy. Without the laughs, but with more hmmms.

[Tung · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four plays, including Martin’s most famous one. Overall, he’s a terrible writer, simply amateurish. But because he’s so clever and funny, there’ll be one or two lines in each play that almost salvage the mess that is the rest of it. The grand fault of all of the plays is that Martin has no concept of subtlety, so he beats an obvious theme into the ground. WASP is a cliché condemnation of WASP families – but the play’s contrived surreality seems too out-of-place (aliens appear in a scene for no reason). The Zig-Zag Woman is clever but with no depth. Patter for the Floating Lady is my favorite of the four – very short, but the best-written of the bunch. I liked Picasso at the Lapin Agile overall, except for moments where Martin forces humor at the expense of the rest of the play (for instance, a moment where one of the characters anachronistically belts out “When a Man Loves a Woman” even though this play takes place in 1904), as if his standup comedy roots were at war with his artistic ambitions. And Martin’s inability to grasp subtlety makes the ending of Picasso completely overdone.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after knowing Picasso at the Lapin Agile would be the school play this year. As I was reading this play there were many moments that I laughed out loud which doesn't happen very often when I am reading a book. Everything about this play is great and the comedy is brilliant. Steve Martin describes each character so perfectly and the reader falls in love with each one because all of them have different, peculiar personalities. My person favorite character is Schmendiman because although he was a very minor character I found myself laughing most at his lines. The play follows eleven characters who all meet at a bar in France, the most famous characters being Picasso, Einstein, and a Visitor from the future; who is Elvis. The play doesn't have any real plot but everything is set up perfectly to have you laughing uncontrollably at times. After reading the play, I was able to watch them practice performing the playing and everyone embraced each character perfectly. I would definately recommend this play to anyone, it was so different than anything I had read and was a very enjoyable to read.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two schools of thought on Steve Martin, actor, writer and comedian. One would have it that Martin is brilliant, subversive and incisive in his combination of high and low comedy, blending philosophy, art, science, theology and vaudeville. The other would have it that Martin is a smug, pretentious tool, never able to write anything without his iconic cleverer-than-thou smirk lurking in the background. The reality, I suspect, is somewhere in between. "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" and "Wasp," Martin's two must famous plays, have exquisite dialogue and Martin's trademark droll, slightly surreal humor. Nonetheless, audiences tend to feel a little insulted by them- that the joke, which they may not particularly get (does anyone?) is on them in a way. I directed "Wasp" in 2011, and cast and audience alike had little clear idea what to make of it. Despite this, I remain fond of Martin as both performer and writer, though, like Stephen Sondheim, I would fear meeting him and feeling the sting of his sharp tongue.

[Anna Shiverdecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025: This was a reread of Picasso at thr Lapin Agile and a first read of the others in this collection. I think Picasso is the best one though I did enjoy the Zig-Zag Lady as well. As for the other two, Patter for the Floating Lady and WASP, they didn't make much sense to me. I'm not quite sure what he was getting at with them. they are just too short and disjointed for me to figure out entirely. I have guesses, but I am not interested enough to dig into it. Overall, I think it's postmodern and I don't really get much value from that these days.


Very different from any other play I've ever read. I found it quite fun as well as a lot of lines I liked. If you couldn't guess it The Visitor is Elvis just so you all know. Also Einstien and Picasso lived during some of the same years including the year this play takes place (1904) Helpful information if you are reading it. I over all loved it, though it doesn't always make sense. Still worth a read.

[Neil Schleifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Martin's absurdist piece at times succeeds at being merely madcap, Now madcap can be many things -- it can bring to mind the wildly ridiculous Marx Brothers movies of the 1930's or the sophisticated wit of William Powell and Myrna Loy ala The Thin Man. Martin gives us a little of both, with just a hint of existentialism thrown in for good measure. He mixes real life-characters like Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein (with a brief cameo by Elvis) and a collection of local Parisian eccentrics. The result is a mixed bag. It is a good read. I've also staged a production of the show and while it gives an audience a lot to think about, Martin is sneaky about how he gets you to do it. He lures an audience in with a zany pretense and the comic power of his own name and then drops a moral on them at the end. It's a little anticlimactic.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the subtitle: "And Other Plays" is an understatement. Patter for the Floating Lady, while only a few pages long was outstanding, and managed to set up a walloping surprise in that short space. And WASP, may be the funniest thing Steve Martin has ever written, certainly as funny as The Jerk. Picasso at the Lapin Agile and the Zig-Zag Woman were both very good. The Older Man character from Zig-Zag had a delicious bit dialogue when asked about a lost love: "...She could write, sing, and draw, and she issued a declaration of independence every time she entered a room... Her hair was practically edible. Joy issued from her eyes and hands and her walk..." I definitely plan on returning to these plays often - pure delight.

[Efrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was in fact very funny. I have a very bad sense of humor when it comes to laughing from a book, but I can say that there were some funny lines in the play. The idea of Einstein and Picasso spending the night at a bar and them having discussion about how they're going to change the century was amusing itself. But unlike other plays, where there's a big overall message, I didn't really get one from this play. I still loved reading it though, which makes me wonder, sometimes, you don'd need a message in a book to make it meaningful. Simply the fact that is was funny was enough for me to like it.