Chanticleers Back In-Person with Steve Martin Comedy
The cast of “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” will be presenting the play at Chanticleers Theatre through July 31.
Castro Valley’s venerable live theater, Chanticleers, is once again up and running after a semi-break during the pandemic. The Steve Martin comedy “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” is currently playing weekends there through July 31.
“It has been a long and difficult two-plus years,” says Chanticleers Board President Catherine Bucher. “Though we have re-opened, you will note that some things are different — evidence of vaccination and masks are now required.
Cast members and crew are also vaccinated and tested for COVID.
“Picasso at the Lapin Agile” is the theater’s first full-scale production of 2022. It is comedian Steve Martin’s humorous fantasy of what might have occurred had artist Pablo Picasso met theoretical physicist Albert Einstein in a Paris bar called the Lapin Agile. The play features adult humor, plus quirky characters visiting the bar in 1904. It stars Max O. Chang as Picasso and Kyle Carrillo-Enders as Einstein.
“In my opinion, there’s no better way to spend a weekend night than seeing a great Steve Martin play,” says Chanticleer Theatre’s new Artistic Director, Jacob Russell-Snyder. “It’s a treat that live theater is going on in Castro Valley.”
Tickets to “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” may be purchased at www.chanticleers.org or by calling (510) 733-5483. Prices are $27 for General Admission and $22 for seniors and students. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 6 p.m.
As the venue opens back up, both Bucher and Russell-Snyder say they’d like to invite the community to come and join the all-volunteer Chanticleers supporters — to watch a play, volunteer, audition, donate, or any combination.
“We’re very excited to give an opportunity to all our community members to do something that they love and create theatrical magic again,” says Russell-Snyder.
Chanticleers Theatre has hosted performances since 1951 in and around Castro Valley. Rehearsals were originally held in an old chicken coop. The name Chanticleers was chosen as a tribute to Castro Valley’s chicken ranch history, referring to the rooster in the tale “Reynard the Fox.”
Chanticleers Theatre’s early shows were held at several locations, including Castro Valley Grammar School (where Adobe Art Center stands today) and Palomares Playhouse, which was destroyed in a 1976 fire.
Fortunately, Hayward Area Recreation and Parks District (HARD) allowed the group to lease its current home at the old Castro Valley Community Center, 3683 Quail Ave. It has hosted dramas, comedies, classics, and musicals in its 100-seat venue. During the past two and a half pandemic years, the theater opted for online and limited in-person plays.
Next up, Chanticleers will present the comedy-horror-rock musical “Little Shop of Horrors.” It will play Oct. 21-Nov. 13, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets will be available at www.chanticleers.org or by calling (510) 733-5483 (510-See-Live).