Whether you are an actor or a technician, knowing the style of a play is just as important as knowing the text. This is an integral factor for any production company trying to pull off the brilliance of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile. The show is a farce: a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character (Dictionary.com). In this work, Martin uses multiple different types of comedy, such as screwball, highbrow and self-referential comedy, which makes the play a farce.
Farcical comedies go hand in hand with screwball comedies; a style of comedic theatre dealing with exaggerated characterizations as well as unlikely situations (Nichol). There are many …show more content…
“You see, I’m a theorist, and the way I see it is that there is just as much chance of her wandering in here accidentally as there is of her wandering into the Bar Rouge on purpose.” (Martin). Einstein is waiting for a girl at the wrong bar, and when questioned, he basically says, she may end up at the bar he is at anyway, so the specifications of where he is should not matter to the girl he is meeting. This kind of clever writing, creates a more inelegant joke, and arouses a different kind of laughter from the audience. ”Y end parenthesis x? OH… THAT‘S FUNNY!” (Martin). Einstein is referring to a math problem he has just solved in his head regarding the alcohol purchase the bar made. Seeing someone immediately solve a math problem in their head and then laugh about someone else confusing the formulas, is a kind of sophisticated comedy that will always get a laugh. “The moment I leave blue behind. I’d like some wine… Rose’.” (Martin). In this sequence of dialogue, Picasso is referring to a vision of this painting he has just seen. The joke, which is often missed because of how clever it is, refers to Picasso’s periods; leaving blue and then ordering a Rose’. The play has many of these hidden gems, and only the most knowledgeable, sophisticated audience members will catch them
Farcical comedies go hand in hand with screwball comedies; a style of comedic theatre dealing with exaggerated characterizations as well as unlikely situations (Nichol). There are many …show more content…
“You see, I’m a theorist, and the way I see it is that there is just as much chance of her wandering in here accidentally as there is of her wandering into the Bar Rouge on purpose.” (Martin). Einstein is waiting for a girl at the wrong bar, and when questioned, he basically says, she may end up at the bar he is at anyway, so the specifications of where he is should not matter to the girl he is meeting. This kind of clever writing, creates a more inelegant joke, and arouses a different kind of laughter from the audience. ”Y end parenthesis x? OH… THAT‘S FUNNY!” (Martin). Einstein is referring to a math problem he has just solved in his head regarding the alcohol purchase the bar made. Seeing someone immediately solve a math problem in their head and then laugh about someone else confusing the formulas, is a kind of sophisticated comedy that will always get a laugh. “The moment I leave blue behind. I’d like some wine… Rose’.” (Martin). In this sequence of dialogue, Picasso is referring to a vision of this painting he has just seen. The joke, which is often missed because of how clever it is, refers to Picasso’s periods; leaving blue and then ordering a Rose’. The play has many of these hidden gems, and only the most knowledgeable, sophisticated audience members will catch them