REVIEW: Praise for Porch Light's 'Picasso'

Full disclosure: At college, I performed in a production of Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and I hated it. In my mind, the monologues were boring, the characters annoying and the premise ridiculous.

After watching Porch Light Production's version of the absurdist comedy, I feel I missed the boat. Director Ryan Pifher's cast of colorful, zany and enjoyable characters fully paint a philosophical, funny and optimistic portrait of the world empowered by the past and intrigued by the future.

Comedian and screenwriter Martin's first foray into staged plays works off the hypothetical premise of Pablo Picasso (Mitchell Conway) and Albert Einstein (Ricky Dunlop) meeting in a bar just prior to their careers taking off in Paris after the turn of the 20th century.

Einstein and Picasso—along with bar regulars and passersby—debate creativity, art, gender issues and what the blank slate of the 20th century will bring. Sometimes characters wax too poetically, but it's Pifher's tongue-in-cheek treatment that prevents the play from approaching a Socratic discourse and keeps it at a funny farm.

The duo forms a dynamic chemistry, which is only amplified by other standout performances. True Picasso and Einstein drive the plot and play, but barfly Gaston (J. Michael Polisano) and barmaid Germaine (Jen Ponton) vie for top billing. The drunken, sex-starved Gaston utters hilarity with every line, while the no-nonsense Germaine checks the flowery and high-flatulent artists by instilling reality-based wisecracks into their diatribes.

That's not to discredit the future geniuses. Portraying real people is a different—possibly tougher—challenge than fictional ones. Both Conway and Dunlop (and later Matthew Bayer as "The Visitor," a.k.a. a future rock-and-roll icon with a Southern accent and sideburns) appropriately honor their namesakes while carving their own unique niches. 

Conway really stars with the titular role. His Picasso is a captivating, alluring and loathsome genius.

With an absurdist play, the director's job is to take risks. Pifher takes his fair share, and, to his credit, delivers more than he disappoints. For one, he allows his actors to ad-lib outside the script, which usually results in success (Charles Gould's "Slum-Dog Millionaire" joke comes to mind). Pifher himself deviates at times (the play is usually staged in one act, but Porch Light inserts an intermission), and adds an exclamation point at what appears to be the play's end.

Sure, the antics fall short at times—or are too drawn out—but the company's commitment to the surreal carries through the lulls.

Additionally, credit across the board has to be given to the solid accents each performer uses. Whether Spanish (Picasso), German (Einstein), French (Germaine), Scottish/British/Australian? (Gaston), or even barkeep Freddie's (Gould) Indian intonation, the audience never second-guesses the actors' authenticity.

The character's genuineness also allows for the philosophy to occasionally hit home. As we ourselves sit at the dawn of the 21st century, it is interesting to ponder what the future will bring. Freddy speculates that people will start doing a dance called the Toad, and Germany will usher in a century of peace. True, those phenomena did not transpire last century, but who's to say the 2000s won't be different?

Another aspect where Porch Light excels is in the facility's overall transformation and community incorporation. For a play that discusses art, Porch Light enlisted local artists (including Ridgewood's Zach Lear and Patch contributor Sherri Eldin, among others) to displays their work throughout the Glen Rock structure. The chalkboard in the bathroom invites users to make their own work. And the accompanying drinking game at the BYOB theater is a great touch—hey, the Lapin Agile is a bar after all. 

Picasso... is a great button to close Porch Light's first full season in Glen Rock. The silly and sometimes profound show certainly is worth attending. 

If you go: Picasso At Lapin Agile: June 11, 12, 13*, 18, 19, 20* at 8 p.m. *Shows at 2 p.m. Adults: $25. Students/seniors: $22. For more information on the show and the soon-to-be-announced 2010/11 season, visit the theater's Web site.