SOUTH DEERFIELD — Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein walk into a bar — no, seriously!

The two luminaries will walk into the French bar Lapin Agile at Frontier Regional School this weekend, as students put on a performance of “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” The 1993 comedy, written by Steve Martin, brings the famous artist and brilliant scientist together for a debate about genius and talent set in 1904.

Folks are invited to the show on Friday, Nov. 17, and Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m., as well as two matinee performances on Saturday, Nov. 18, and Sunday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. The one-act play is expected to last around 85 minutes. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors and students.

Typically, comedies and the more lighthearted stories are left for the spring musical, but Director Gian DiDonna said the school wanted to take a swing at something else for this year’s play. The show’s main theme, he continued, is exploring the “reciprocal influence of art and science.”

“This is more character-driven and about the actors using their imagination to invent and distinguish the characters from one another,” DiDonna said, adding that the presence of fake accents has been a boon to the students’ performances. “It really helps dissociate from themselves and not rely on their own personalities as much.”

He also added the show is a bit “zany and off-the-wall, which is fun to direct.”

Junior Mason Smith, who is taking on the role of the titular artist, said he has had to do his research on both the man and his portrayals in other media.

“I’ve been enjoying it and I feel like I caught on pretty quickly,” Smith said. “Picasso is very emotional and he’s driven by his emotions. What I’m trying to do is use that emotion and turn it into comedy when I need to.”

For senior Patrice Moriarty, who is taking on the role of bar waitress Germaine, the show is an opportunity to take on a unique role in her final year of Frontier theater.

“Germaine has been very interesting and it’s the first time I’ve done an accent on stage, which is scary,” she said. “I’m really excited to do this show; it’s very different from what we’ve done before.”

Part of that difference is the fact that it’s a one-act play that features her in the vast majority of the show. Moriarty said she will be on stage for most of the show, even if she doesn’t have lines during specific scenes, describing it as a “marathon” of sorts.

Closing down the play will be sophomore Malcolm Howard as “The Visitor,” a character who will immediately be familiar to folks in the crowd when he steps on stage. Howard, who said he has performed in seven shows at Frontier, said much of his focus will be on stage movement and nailing the timing of jokes, so they land properly.

“It’s been a little challenge,” he said of finding the right physical movements to match his lines. “A lot of comedy, it’s timing.”

Students noted that the play’s content may not be appropriate for the youngest audiences, while DiDonna said he’d rate it as PG-13.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.