The West End Players Guild opens its 100th season in style with "A Picasso," a smart, fast-paced primer of the life and work of Pablo Picasso.
Jeffrey Hatcher's story, based on actual interrogations of the artist by Nazi officials while Adolf Hitler tried to remake German art, takes place in a vault beneath the streets of occupied Paris in 1941. Picasso is being questioned by the fictional Miss Fischer, a German cultural attaché who wants Picasso to authenticate three confiscated works thought to be his.
Picasso quickly identifies each as his own, but when Fischer tells him the paintings will be included in a bonfire of "degenerate art," the two reach a deal: Picasso may authenticate just one painting for the fire, and two will be spared.
But asking an artist to disown any of his work is akin to asking a parent to disown a child. Fischer advises that he think like a critic.
"First I have to think like a German," he says. "Now I have to think like a critic?"
Picasso's discussion of each of the drawings gives a glimpse into the mind of the artist targeted at that time for his antiwar painting "Guernica."
Kevin Beyer gracefully takes on the role of Picasso, presenting the larger-than-life figure in a way that's actually quite relatable. When the play begins, and he's alone in the vault waiting for Fischer, it's easy to see the fear on his face and in his movements. Once Fischer enters, he pulls himself together.
In retelling the events that shaped his life — the death of his sister, for instance, which had a profound effect on him — we learn the motivations for many of his political actions and artistic decisions.
Maggie Murphy portrays Miss Fischer with the force you'd expect of a Nazi interrogator but also with elegance and charm. Beneath her business-only exterior, Fischer is a devoted Picasso fan, and Murphy allows that to shine through at the right moments.
Murphy delivers her well-written lines with a convincing German accent. "We're all guilty of something," she tells Picasso at the start of the interrogation. "It's just a matter of finding the appropriate law."
Mark Wilson's gorgeous two-tiered set is piled high with artwork and plenty of detail. Amy Ruprecht-Belt's lighting design is simple yet effective, and Russ Bettlach's stylish period costumes are perfect. "A Picasso" is expertly directed by Steve Callahan.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
A fabulous photo of the Fox
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Look, Mom — no street!
Here's the scene on North Tucker Boulevard last week, as demolition of the rickety bridge continues.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Fried things!
I bought some sliced dill pickles a few weeks ago with big plans to fry them, and tonight I decided to go for it. It's really not hard; it's just messy.
The results were amazing. Just for fun, I tossed in some onion rings. The recipe I used was from a 2004 Recipe Swap column by Susan McClanahan (the first one) in the Southeast Missourian, where I once worked.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Video: Flaming Bunny balloon
I've lived here for more than five years, but last night was my first time at the Forest Park Balloon Glow. It's really quite a scene: all those hot-air balloons tethered to the ground but all inflated and occasionally aglow with hot bursts of fire. Here's some video from below the gigantic Energizer Bunny.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Old-school newspapering
The caption: "Two students gain hands-on experience in the journalism major. These students are preparing layout for the student newspaper, the Arrow."
The reality: The photo was completely set up by the photographer. "Pretend you're working on the paper," we were instructed, which explains the pica pole and plastic cropping tool — both completely obsolete even at that time.
Oh, academia.
In defense of pedicures
Spotted at the Big Muddy Blues Festival.
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