‘Picasso at Lapin Agile’ Paints Playful Portrait of Two Greats

In his play “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” comedian-actor Steve Martin makes mention of the “icebox laugh,” which occurs when a joke or situation fails to make you laugh at the time, but finally strikes you as funny an hour later, when you’re at home, standing in front of the icebox.

Martin mixed many such laughs into his first play, about a fictional encounter between Picasso and Einstein, which debuted in Chicago in 1993 and went on to success in Los Angeles and New York. Problem is, he larded the script with still more easy laughs, which too often reduce his lively meditation on art, science, genius and celebrity into a mere stand-up routine.

Still, it’s great to see the play resurface in a playful production at Laguna Playhouse, for it gives us all a chance to root around in the icebox for things we missed before.

“Picasso at the Lapin Agile” is smart programming for the closing months of 1999, for it’s an ode to the 20th century’s breakthroughs in thinking. The action takes place in 1904, when the young Einstein’s wandering into the Lapin Agile, a Parisian watering hole frequented by Picasso, sets the stage for the two to parry ideas about time, space and perception. The high point, which director Andrew Barnicle builds to nicely, is an exchange in which Picasso and Einstein giddily describe the beauty of ideas and the thrill of their creation.

Performances are strong overall, though not as gleefully off-the-wall as in the long-running Westwood presentation in 1994-95. The standout is JD Roberto, whose preening peacock of a Picasso somehow makes arrogance seem intoxicatingly sexy. Though he’s as laid-back as Roberto is forward, David Ellenstein’s Einstein proves that brains and a fun-loving spirit can be just as hot.

Dwight Richard Odle’s handsome set, Paulie Jenkins’ magical lighting and Michael Pacciorini’s whimsical costumes all contribute icebox laughs of their own.

* “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” Laguna Playhouse’s Moulton Theatre, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Dark Nov. 25; matinee only Dec. 5. Ends Dec. 5. $21-$40. (949) 497-2787. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

David Ellenstein: Einstein

JD Roberto: Picasso

David Starwalt: Freddy

George Woods: Gaston

Jill Remez: Germaine

Claire Partin: Suzanne

Garnett Smith: Sagot

Jonathan Goldstein: Schmendiman

Joe Sagal: A Visitor

A Laguna Playhouse production. Written by Steve Martin. Directed by Andrew Barnicle. Set Dwight Richard Odle. Costumes Michael Pacciorini. Lights Paulie Jenkins. Sound David Edwards. Stage manager Alice Harkins.