Berkshire on Stage

John Lugar, Co-Artistic Director of Bennington Theater, is apparently not afraid of a challenge. In this marvelous little community theatre on the edge of Vermont, Lugar brings us an entertaining evening of intellectual comedy in PICASSO IN THE LAPIN AGILE. Written by the incomparable comedian, Steve Martin, this 90-minute, cerebral romp poses the question – what if a couple of geniuses from the early 20th century walked into a bar and claimed to be the person who changed our way of seeing the world? A 25-year-old Albert Einstein is the first to appear, followed closely by a 23-year-old Pablo Picasso. 

The bar in this mélange of philosophy and physics is the infamous Lapin Agile – a Montmartre cabaret noted for the famous artists, eccentrics, and Parisians of the Latin Quarter who hung out there from the 19^th century on. In Martin’s imaginary confection, we have the bar owner, Freddy, and his girlfriend and waitress, Germaine who play host to a delightful array of regulars such as an older denizen, Gaston and the art dealer Sagot, as well as a brash young Einstein and his friend, the Countess, and Suzanne, a local girl who arrives to wait for Picasso, and a surprise “visitor” who adds to the fun. What ensues is a convoluted battle of wits about love, art, and science. 

This is formidable material for a community theatre. It is incredibly difficult to cast, as plays always are when the characters are based on real people. Martin’s unusual sense of humor is woven tightly into the fabric of the script and demands a particular style—not blatant farce, not drawing room comedy. The intricacy of the conflicts and arguments is especially difficult to grasp, and motivations are buried deeply in banter and repartee. As noted, Lugar (who is the producer, director, and scene designer for this production) has taken on quite a challenge to bring PICASSO to the stage.

Despite these realities, Bennington Theater is quite successful in presenting an amusing, entertaining, and unique evening of theatre. Lugar’s setting is flexible and appropriate, with lots of details that take us into this world of eccentrics. His staging is effective (except for times when characters are positioned front and center and unable to relate to the other characters on stage). The audience thoroughly enjoyed the evening, finishing it off with a rousing standing ovation.

Standouts in the cast are Aiden Kennedy as Pablo Picasso and Michelle Marrocco as Germaine. Kennedy brings a burst of energy into the café from the moment he enters. He picks up his cues and projects all the way to the back of the house (which several of the cast members do not—a little room for improvement there.) Marrocco moves beautifully and has a kind of feminine swagger that fits her satiric, worldly character. Doug Ryan is hilarious as Schmendiman, a strange character that arrives claiming to be the third genius due at the café this night. Ryan plays the role all out without throwing off the overall performance style. It is a silly, nonsensical role that he embraces fully, much to the delight of the audience.

Evan Pringle as Freddy and Jonathan Nachman as Gaston both look the part and evoke a lot of laughter, but their character objectives are neither clear nor urgent. Gretchen Sausville plays the world-weary but young Suzanne with appropriate wry cynicism. Like all the cast, Ross Vander Peut (in the difficult role of Albert Einstein) works hard. He is at his best in the later scenes as he settles into the role. It helps if the viewer doesn’t try to align Steve Martin’s Einstein with the actual Einstein – this is, after all, a fantasy riff on how our perspectives change through the insertion of genius and innovation.

Tom Stevens as Sagot also looks the part but we lost quite a few of his lines. Ingrid Madelayne (The Countess) and Emily Ranttila (Female Admirer) round out the cast. Finally, there is the strange visitor who emerges from the men’s toilet late in the play. I won’t spoil the surprise by revealing who this character is except to say that Vincent Panetta strives mightily to portray this icon of the 20^th century, bringing life and vitality into the dazzling verbosity and argument that concludes the play.

Bennington Theater’s PICASSO IN THE LAPIN AGILE is, in short, a fun night at the theatre. If you can suspend your disbelief and allow this company to transport you to a famous Parisian bar where art, philosophy, and science are the essential ingredients of laughter and ambiguous circumlocution, you won’t want to miss it.

Credits

Playwright: Steve Martin

Director: John Lugar

Set Design: John Lugar

Lighting Design: Kaiya Kirk

Costume Design: Izzie Belizzi

Set Décor & Props: Albert Molendijk

Cast:

Evan Pringle as Freddy

Jonathan Nachman as Gaston

Michelle Marrocco as Germaine

Ross Vander Peut as Albert Einstein

Gretchen Sausville as Suzanne

Tom Stevens as Sagot

Aidan Kennedy as Pablo Picasso

Doug Ryan as Charles Dabernow Schmendiman

Ingrid Madelayne as The Countess

Emily Ranttila as Female Admirer

Vincent Panetta as The Visitor

Information

PICASSO IN THE LAPIN AGILE runs September 4-6 and 11-13 at 7:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 p.m. Sundays. For tickets phone: 802-500-5500

Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission

Bennington Theatre

331 Main St, Bennington, VT 05201

Closing date: September 13, 2026

Website: BenningtonTheater.org