A Weekend with Pablo Picasso at The Los Angeles Theatre Center

A Weekend with Pablo Picasso

The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring St. Los Angeles

Acclaimed actor-writer Herbert Siguenza (of Culture Clash) returns to Los Angeles with his first one man show. Siguenza brings his virtuosic writing, acting and painting skills into Picasso's private studio, "Le Californie" on the coast of France in 1957 for an intimate and revealing weekend into the creative mind and work of one of the most inspiring artists of modern history. Picasso's controversial and flamboyant opinions and creations gripped the public imagination and forever changed 20th century art history. This play explores Picasso's proclamations about ambition, destruction, creativity, love and art as an agent of social change. (Recommended for mature audiences due to strong language.)

Presented by Latino Theater Company

Thru - May 1, 2011

Price: $10-$35

Stage: Theater 3

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 866-811-4111

Running Time: 1hr, 30mins

www.thelatc.org

A Weekend with Pablo Picasso Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Los Angeles Times - Highly Recommended

"...Todd Salovey's savvy, stylish staging employs Giulio Cesare Perrone's colorful artist-studio-as-playpen set to reinforce Picasso's passion to see the world through a child's eyes. Shades of childish petulance also erupt in Siguenza's mercurial performance, though his allusion to women as being either "goddesses or doormats" only hints at the artist's capacity for reprehensible behavior. Siguenza's play could risk showing more of his subject's dark side, but it's a stellar success at illuminating some formative events of Picasso's life and drawing us into his artistic world."

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- Philip Brandes

LA Weekly - Highly Recommended

"...Though the countless famous quotes (including many heavy-handed statements about love, war and politics) and the protagonist's streak of two dozen eureka moments in 90 minutes sometimes lend an air of staginess to the work, getting to watch Siguenza paint, prowl the stage and lovingly channel the spirit of an eccentric icon more than makes up for the moments of inauthenticity. Scenic designer Giulio Cesare Perrone creates an art studio fit for a legend, and Victoria Petrovich's projection design synchs perfectly with the boldness of Siguenza's performance."

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- Amy Lyons

Backstage - Somewhat Recommended

"...Pablo Picasso's personality and reputation were perhaps as sensational and controversial as his paintings. In writer-performer Herbert Siguenza's view, the modern master wouldn't have had it any other way. Based on Picasso's writings, the solo show "A Weekend With Pablo Picasso" is a delightful character study that throws as much of a spotlight on Siguenza's affable presence and ease with the audience-and a paintbrush-as it does on the artist's life and work. But while it's fascinating to see blank canvases turn into paintings onstage and watch a terrifically talented performer truly embody Picasso, what the evening-er, weekend-doesn't do is venture very far beneath Picasso's surface."

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- Jennie Webb

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Recently, I stopped by to see Herbert Siguenza's solo show A Weekend with Pablo Picasso – and it is a tour-de-force triumph. I had no intention of reviewing it, as the proliferation of one-person showcases in Los Angeles had soured my interest in the genre; too many artists are more concerned with a narrative recounting of their lives (which often smacks of self-aggrandizement) than they are in creating a theatrical experience. Rare is the solo outing that, through a combination of playwriting and performance, transcends its medium to become an event, such as was accomplished by James Whitmore as President Truman in Give ‘em Hell, Harry, Robert Morse as Truman Capote in Tru, and Ann Randolph in Loveland."

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- Tony Frankel

Examiner - Highly Recommended

"... Herbert Siguenza (of Culture Clash) is masterful in his first solo show, A Weekend With Pablo Picasso, performing through May 1 at Los AngelesTheatre Center's Theatre 3. The show is produced by the Latino Theater Company anddirected by Todd Salovey. Written by Siguenza, this interesting and humorous glimpse into the spirit and life of an art icon proves he can shine with and without his Culture Clash cohorts."

- Candyce Columbus

A Weekend with Pablo Picasso at The Los Angeles Theatre Center