Wednesday, June 13, 2007 by Joan E. Vadeboncoeur
Entertainment Columnist, SYRACUSE POST-STANDARD
Syracuse theater is being invigorated by a production new to community theater - Simply New Theater's dramatic "A Picasso".
The role of the artist in society has been a thorny path to tread, but is even more angst ridden when a repressive regime is in power. Jeffrey Hatcher's "A Picasso" examines the negotiations Pablo Picasso was forced to exert when three of his works came into question during the Nazi occupation of Paris during World War II. It is told in a confrontation between the artist and a culture minister - a women who has summoned him to identify three paintings as fake or real.
She is pleasant, he is wary as the encounter begins. Soon, his cynicism surfaces and she reveals the exhibit for Nazis only is labeled degenerate art. At the end, it will be burned. Picasso unwraps tales about why one or more is faked. They are charming stories which reveal much about his life.
Picasso is tailor made by the talents of Bill Molesky. He can project arrogance, lie with impunity and deliver sly humor. It is one of his best performances. Shannon Tompkins has earned much praise as a musical theater performer and choreographer. Lately, she has chosen to broaden her horizons. Her interrogator makes a fine match for Molesky as she rises to the occasion of playing opposite one of the area's finest actors.