Young geniuses collide for comedy in 'Picasso at the Lapin Agile'

Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein walk into a bar...

It sounds like the makings of a joke. And since "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" is written by comedic genius Steve Martin, it's going to be funny. But this play goes a little beyond that.

"We call it an absurdest comedy," said Sam Wooten, artistic director for the Cloverdale Playhouse in Montgomery, where the play opens Feb. 17, and runs through Feb. 27. 

"Steve Martin imagined a time at the turn of the last century, around 1904, at this favorite artists bar in Paris called The Lapin Agile, that Picasso would hang out there," Wooten said.

The bar is filled with fellow creative souls, and among them was the young genius Einstein. At the time, both Picasso and Einstein would have both been in their early 20s. This is a time before Picasso's cubism style, and before Einstein's theory of relativity.

"It's a really fun time. It moves quick. It keeps you thinking," Wooten said. "And the actors are really doing a wonderful job with it."

There are 11 roles in the show, and Wooten said the cast is a mix of new faces and longtime Playhouse actors.

"It's a range of experience, but everybody's got a ton of talent," Wooten said. "We're having a lot of fun playing and figuring things out together." 

Sean Golson, who along with acting around the region has taught in the Playhouse school, plays the Spanish artist Picasso, who lived much of his life in France. 

German-born theoretical physicist Einstein is played by Kevin Mohajerin, who has also been in several productions and was in the recently in Cloverdale Playhouse's "The Giver." 

"The two of them have worked together before," Wooten said. "It's great fun to watch them spar with each other, intellectually and creatively. They bring a great energy to things."

Theater seating remains limited to about half normal capacity due to COVID restrictions, and guests are asked to wear masks. Wooten suggests reserving seats early. They're available online at cloverdaleplayhouse.org and by calling 334-262-1530.

"Hopefully, there's a laugh for everyone, from every background," Wooten said.  

This is Wooten's first production in the artistic director seat since the departure of Sarah Thornton to a new life in snowy, frozen Montana. 

"Obviously, it was a big loss not just for the playhouse but for Montgomery to have Sarah Thornton head out West," Wooten said. "But we understand that she and Nathan are trying to plan another chapter in their lives."

Wooten has previously been on the Playhouse's board and seen other changes at the theater through the years. 

"Settling in here on a daily basis is not that difficult," Wooten said. "It's just making sure that I know not to drop the ball. There's a lot of moving parts, and I want to make sure that I try to live up to the standard that Sarah and (former artistic director Greg Thornton, Sarah's father) set." 

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at sheupel@gannett.com.