By Mark Ambrogi
Kelly Keller is taking his first crack at directing.
Keller is directing the Mud Creek Players’ “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” which runs from April 21 to May 6 at the Mud Creek Barn, 9740 E. 86th St., Indianapolis.
“It’s different from being on stage to coaching people and guiding people, that’s a little change,” said Keller, a Mud Creek board member. “If you are able to cast some folks that are good, you have a higher chance of success than otherwise. I had a good pool of people to pick from.”
The play was written by comedian/actor/musician Steve Martin, featuring a fictional meeting between Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein.
A friend suggested Keller do this one and he submitted it to Mud Creek.
“I immediately loved it,” said Keller, a Fishers resident. “I’m a big Steve Martin fan. As soon as I read it, I knew this is the one I want to submit.”
Brad Root, a Lawrence Central High School graduate who lives close to Geist area, is portraying a younger Picasso.
Justin Lyon, a Carmel resident, is playing Einstein.
“Einstein has difficulty relating to the other characters for much of the play, either because he isn’t interested in what they care about, or because he sees things in such a different way,” Lyon said. “But once something that interests him comes up, he is passionate and eloquent. I see capturing this transformation as the biggest key to playing Einstein.”
For more, visit mudcreekplayers.org.