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Picasso with a twist
By Sonya Ellingboe
A cat and mouse game? Yes, but the roles are interchanged as verbal jousting continues.
In a dim light, a lone figure is revealed in an underground vault, where art is stored and furnishings consist of a simple table and two chairs. The tense man debates: “shall I sit or stand?” Standing in a self-assured pose is how he will meet his visitor. Footsteps echo and an impressive blonde woman strides in as lights go up. In a demanding tone, she asks him to remove his hat and sit down.
It’s 1941, in Nazi-occupied Paris — the play is Jeffrey Hatcher’s crisply written “A Picasso,” playing through this weekend at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden.
“I prefer to stand. Am I under arrest?” The man is world renowned artist Pablo Picasso (Chris Kendall): immensely talented, equipped with a massive ego and a man accustomed to using friendships with men and especially women and discarding them when it suited.
The woman is Miss Fischer (Paige L. Larson), who answers with ”We are all guilty of something. It’s just a matter of finding the appropriate law! My authority comes from the Ministry of Culture...”
While this is not based on a specific incident, the playwright knew that Picasso lived in Paris during the Occupation, as a citizen of Spain, which was not at war, and an avowed opponent of Franco, who was then in power in Spain. It is reported that he was interrogated several times. The Nazis considered his art and that of most prominent 20th century artists, degenerate and discouraged display.
Miss Fischer says an exhibit is planned and she has three small drawings that are supposedly by him and she wants them authenticated. Stories follow about the creation of each and then he learns that a burning of examples of degenerate art is planned — and she must have a Picasso. She threatens him that his papers are about to expire and he could meet several possible unhappy fates. “Why did you paint ‘The Guernica?’ she asks suddenly, attacking what’s considered the most famous anti-war painting ever created. He defends that work, inspired by German/Italian attack on a small Spanish Village in 1937 at Franc and retracts his statements, saying the drawings in question are all fakes.
Interspersed in their conversation is her admission that her parents once had his art in their home and she loved it. As a trained art historian, she knows quite a lot about him. He puts on his womanizing manner and speaks of her beauty, making inroads on her precise German facade.
And, he comes up with a resourceful solution to their impasse.
Although there is little physical action, under Robert Kramer’s direction these skilled performers keep ideas zinging through the air and emotions on edge. The audience is totally involved throughout this complex 75-minute play.
If you go:
Final Weekend: “A Picasso” by Jeffrey Hatcher deals with art stolen by the Nazis, authenticity, politics, sex, truth through Nov. 1 at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden. Robert Kramer directs. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays; 6 p.m. Sundays; 2 p.m. only Sunday, Nov. 1. Tickets: $20, 303-935-3044.
In a dim light, a lone figure is revealed in an underground vault, where art is stored and furnishings consist of a simple table and two chairs. The tense man debates: “shall I sit or stand?” Standing in a self-assured pose is how he will meet his visitor. Footsteps echo and an impressive blonde woman strides in as lights go up. In a demanding tone, she asks him to remove his hat and sit down.
It’s 1941, in Nazi-occupied Paris — the play is Jeffrey Hatcher’s crisply written “A Picasso,” playing through this weekend at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden.
“I prefer to stand. Am I under arrest?” The man is world renowned artist Pablo Picasso (Chris Kendall): immensely talented, equipped with a massive ego and a man accustomed to using friendships with men and especially women and discarding them when it suited.
The woman is Miss Fischer (Paige L. Larson), who answers with ”We are all guilty of something. It’s just a matter of finding the appropriate law! My authority comes from the Ministry of Culture...”
While this is not based on a specific incident, the playwright knew that Picasso lived in Paris during the Occupation, as a citizen of Spain, which was not at war, and an avowed opponent of Franco, who was then in power in Spain. It is reported that he was interrogated several times. The Nazis considered his art and that of most prominent 20th century artists, degenerate and discouraged display.
Miss Fischer says an exhibit is planned and she has three small drawings that are supposedly by him and she wants them authenticated. Stories follow about the creation of each and then he learns that a burning of examples of degenerate art is planned — and she must have a Picasso. She threatens him that his papers are about to expire and he could meet several possible unhappy fates. “Why did you paint ‘The Guernica?’ she asks suddenly, attacking what’s considered the most famous anti-war painting ever created. He defends that work, inspired by German/Italian attack on a small Spanish Village in 1937 at Franc and retracts his statements, saying the drawings in question are all fakes.
Interspersed in their conversation is her admission that her parents once had his art in their home and she loved it. As a trained art historian, she knows quite a lot about him. He puts on his womanizing manner and speaks of her beauty, making inroads on her precise German facade.
And, he comes up with a resourceful solution to their impasse.
Although there is little physical action, under Robert Kramer’s direction these skilled performers keep ideas zinging through the air and emotions on edge. The audience is totally involved throughout this complex 75-minute play.
If you go:
Final Weekend: “A Picasso” by Jeffrey Hatcher deals with art stolen by the Nazis, authenticity, politics, sex, truth through Nov. 1 at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden. Robert Kramer directs. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays; 6 p.m. Sundays; 2 p.m. only Sunday, Nov. 1. Tickets: $20, 303-935-3044.
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