An Icebox Laugh

An Icebox Laugh

In Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Albert Einstein presents a theory about the reaction (or lack thereof) that a person might have to a joke. The theory is an “icebox laugh” and in his words,

You don’t laugh now, but an hour later, you’re at home, standing in front of the ice box, and you laugh.

I’ve noticed that some of the jokes in Picasso at the Lapin Agile are “icebox laughs.” The actors are perceptive to these moments and give the audience a moment or two for the joke to “land.” Because Steve Martin is so clever and such a connoisseur of words, we find that some of the references, puns (achieved or otherwise), and double entendres sometimes take a second or two to process.

If you’ve seen the show, I’d love to know if you had an “icebox laugh.” Have you referenced the show since you saw it? What is your favorite line? If we had to sum up this show with a catch phrase on a t-shirt what would it be?

Weigh in! And you can’t play if you haven’t seen it – we’re here until Jan. 31.

– Kari Goetz