Steve Martin play for St Albans’ OVO theatre group

HOLLYWOOD legend Steve Martin could soon be seen on the streets of St Albans if a pledge he made regarding productions of his play Picasso at the Lapin Agile is honoured.

Local theatre company OVO is putting on the play from next Wednesday, April 6, until Saturday, April 16, at their theatre in Pudding Lane, St Albans.

Steve Martin has previously promised to come and watch any production of the rarely-performed stage work – his first full-length play – anywhere in the world.

And that thought led director Ed White to comment: “We’re delighted to be bringing this quirky and unusual work to the St Albans stage and looking forward to acquainting Steve Martin with the Springtime delights of our fair city – a tour of the cathedral, a pint of real ale and a quick spin around the ring road await him.”

Set in the Lapin Agile bar in Montmartre, Paris, on the night of October 8, 1904, the play centres on a mythical meeting between two of the twentieth century’s most influential figures, Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein.

The two men debate modern art and modern thought as they sit on the verge of a couple of amazing ideas – Einstein published his Theory of Relativity in 1905 and Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907.

Sexuality, artistry and metaphysical madcap comedy come together in the play, the first reading of which took place in Martin’s home in Beverley Hills with Tom Hanks as Picasso and Chris Sarandon as Einstein. It opened at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 1993.

There are no performances on April 10, 11 and 12 but tickets for the other nights are �12.50 with concessions �7.50, available from the box office on 07807 521436 or online at www.ovo.org.uk