PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE Opens At Town Players of Newtown 9/9

On September 9, Town Players of Newtown will open legendary actor/comedian Steve Martin's clever comedy, PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE, for a three-week run.

The year is 1904. The place is the Paris bar Le Lapin Agile - a hangout for artists, writers, and other eccentrics who are leading the charge for the new century's avant-garde. As a 25-year-old Albert Einstein (Jeffry Bukowski, Shelton) awaits the arrival of a female friend, he runs into 23-year-old Pablo Picasso (Ian Keyworth, Glastonbury). Each man is on the verge of a professional breakthrough, but in 1904 they are simply full of youthful passion and egotism. They commence debating, each sure he is the one who holds the key to the new century's greatest idea. When a visitor from the future arrives, playwright Martin adds a third major influence from the 20th century. The big question is which of the three will have the biggest impact on humanity - art, science, or pop culture?

"Steve Martin's sense of humor has always leaned toward the absurd, of course," said director Daniel J. Mulvihill, Jr. of Bethel. "But he has also been more on the cutting edge of the deeper meaning of humor and art than his days playing banjo on 'Saturday Night Live' with an arrow through his head. And so as funny as this show is, and it is funny, there's a more serious, potentially brilliant debate over the fleeting nature of fame and how relative it is to the human mind."

"The production can be insanely hilarious one moment, while tacking some pretty big issues, with a light touch, a moment later," said Town Players president and co-producer Pam Meister. "For audiences who find humor in everyday life, the play will be right up their alley in terms of taste. Plus, all the characters are smart, witty, and quick, and I know audiences will love and laugh at that fact."

Rounding out the cast are some of the area's finest actors: Barbara Disraeli (Brewster, NY), Tim Huebenthal (Southbury), Nick Kaye (Bethel), Ron Malyszka (Bridgewater), Nina Yasick (Woodbridge), Brian Zupcoe (New Milford), and Steve Yudelson (Newtown).

In addition to producer Meister and director Mulvihill, who also designed the set with actor and lighting designer Nick Kaye, the show's crew includes co-producer Mary Poile and stage management by Maria Bevilacqua.

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE first opened at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago on October 13, 1993 and made its New York debut on October 22, 1995 at the Promenade Theatre. Winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off Broadway Play, The New York Post called the play "Highly credible and...very funny. The subject matter is daring...You get giggles in plenty [and] moments of enlightenment..."

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE runs September 9,10,11 16,17,18 23,24,25. Curtain time is 8:00 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays, with 2:00 p.m. Sunday matinees on September 11, 18, and 25. Tickets for all shows are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 10 years old. Please note that the September 9 and 16 shows are sold-out benefit performances. This play is recommended for mature audiences.

Reservations can be made by calling the box office at (203) 270-9144. For more information, visit the Town Players website at www.newtownplayers.org or email info@newtownplayers.org.

Town Players of Newtown is a non-Equity theatre company located on 18 Orchard Hill Road, just off Route 25, in Newtown, CT.

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