The year was 1904. It was before labels like "genius" and "revolutionary" got casually tossed around at the mention of their names. It was before paintings sold for $40 million.
Back then, it was still about ideas for Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, the two masters who Steve Martin throws together in a fictional, "What if . . ." kind of meeting in a Parisian bistro to debate science, art and what the 20th century may hold.
The idea for his comic play, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," must have been irresistible to Martin, who himself turned his own art form on its head a quarter-century ago, taking it to a place neither he nor the public could have conceived.
In the play, we find Einstein and Picasso at that early, innovative stage, seemingly moments before each will create the works that cement their places in history: the 25-year-old Einstein will in a year's time publish his "Special Theory of Relativity," while two years later Picasso, then 26, will create "Les Demoiselles D'Avignon," the painting which ushers in the Cubist technique.
But on this day, they're two guys in a bohemian bar, engaging patrons and employees alike in their lively discussion and ogling the ladies.
The two men would seem to operate on polar opposite schools of thought -- creative and logical -- yet, as Martin has said of the play, it is undeniable "how exciting it is when you're on the verge of something."
Like a scientific theory, or an artwork, or a new century, or even a relationship, says Devin Meadows, director of Heller Theater's production of the play which opens this Thursday.
"I think by the end we're able to walk away feeling a little more connected to each other, knowing that we really aren't all that different," he said. "It's sort of like the difference between being really cynical and really optimistic. If you become cynical enough, you've reached a certain level of optimism, because you're comfortable with what to expect.
"At the root of the play is that while two things may appear to be complete opposites, there can be something very basic that ties them together."
The play has alternately been described as a comedy, a fantasy, a comic meditation and a drama with humor. It moves along without any sense of real drama. There's no profound conflict of any type.
"It just flows with this wonderful sense of humor between these characters who interact, exploring the notion of what it is to create something or the nature of man/woman relationships," Meadows said. "Our interest hangs on those two things."
The characters themselves are largely composed of individuals seen in the Picasso painting, "At the Lapin Agile," (try luh-peen uh-zheel) and which translates as the Nimble Rabbit. It is a bar that the artist often frequented and painted in 1904. The work sold for more than $40 million in 1990.
If Steve Martin weren't the author of "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," says Meadows, "We'd be saying `Wow, what a promising new playwright who's been uncovered.' It's a deceptive comedy in that it deals with some complex issues, but they're so expertly woven in that if you weren't paying attention, you might not even notice, and that's what I really like about this play. This is really funny.
"I've loved all kinds of overwrought, serious theater throughout my life, and I've come to
realize that a pie in the face comes with the job and that entertainment is necessary. Then if
you can slip some awareness in on them, great, and that's what we have in this play. Some
people are going to miss that, but that's OK, because they're going to walk out talking about
how funny it was and how much they enjoyed themselves."