Picasso at the Lapin Agile - Dramatic Criticism
From the time you enter the Falk Theatre, until the curtain rises and falls on the Stageworks productions of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, you are in for a treat. The play is an original work by Steve Martin with a running time of 90minutes, which feels more like 30minutes. Aside from the uncomfortable seating, this production is nothing short of wonderful. The Theatre has been transformed from a long movie Theater atmosphere to a quaint surrounding by means of risers that are placed directly on the stage. The new seating divides the old Theater in half and allows for the actors and the audience to share the same space. Not only this atmosphere that makes it wonderful but also the performances, the direction, the design and the script. Set in France in 1904, the stage is a French bar called the "Lapin Agile", with the action of the plot involving the characters who come into the bar and their relationship to time as well as each other. The script is an abstract look at the chance meeting of historical figures and the role these meetings will have on the future. Perhaps one of the most attracti
posted on either side of the bathroom door, which swings freely when pushed. The door has a board on it the says 'OUI' and when it is flung in the opposite direction it too says 'OUI' a creative and pun intended 'wee wee'. This is a subtlety in the stage design that It is perhaps the blocking from the director and the skills of the actors though that makes this performance so wonderful. The technique of layering was used by both in how the actors are spaced throughout to allow for the focus to transfer effortlessly while maintaining a certain depth on stage. While some characters tend to dominate different sections of the script, it was the layering of the overall ensemble that gave strength to this performance. Another strength was the actors ability to relate to the current audience and find humor based on that. Each actor entered with enormous amounts of energy, making me feel as though this was opening night as opposed to closing night. The lighting is also something that was exceptionally well done. The designers used a large amount of light with soft yellow and orange tones to give an overall feeling of war
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lapin Agile, Albert Einstein, Steve Martin, Set France, Falk Theatre, lapin agile, Agile Freddy, picasso lapin, Picasso Lapin, picasso lapin agile, sheep meadow fog, sheep meadow, meadow fog, set design,
Approximate Word count = 760
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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