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Play Paints A Portrait Of The Artist

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By JASON GEARY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Although he shaved his mustache for the part, Petrus Antonius was seeking more than just a resemblance to famous 20th century artist Pablo Picasso.

The 59-year-old Town 'N Country resident spent months preparing to portray him. A binder is filled with his research and handwritten notes.

"At the beginning, I was worried that I was too tall to play Picasso," Antonius said, chuckling.

"But it has nothing to do with the physicality. It has to do with the man himself, his art, his politics and his mark on the art scene."
Antonius performs in a play called "A Picasso" - a fictional tale about the artist trying to save three of his artworks from being burned by the Nazis. The final two showings are today and Sunday at the Gorilla Theatre in Drew Park.

Since the play began its run in mid-January, the more than 70 seats within the theater have been selling out during weekend performances, theater officials said.

The 90-minute, two-person play is a tense game of cat-and-mouse with the artist and an interrogator squaring off in a bleak basement in Nazi-occupied Paris, where Picasso is sent for questioning.

Linda Slade, a British actress visiting from Los Angeles, plays Miss Fischer, a fictional interrogator seeking to authenticate whether three self-portraits are truly Picasso's work.

"She is a survivor," Slade said. "She does what she has to do to survive at the detriment of her own self."

Despite her respect for Picasso, Fischer knows the Nazis want to destroy his work, Slade said. She wants Picasso to make it out alive, Slade said.

"It's almost like a love story, too" Antonius said. "Because the two of them have different backgrounds and sufferings that they are going through. So they kind of connect."

Picasso changes tactics throughout the play as he desperately tries to protect his work, Antonius said. "There's a certain moment in the play when he even tells her that he would give one of his children to save his art," he said.

Anna Brennen, the play's director, said Antonius and Slade are good friends who have built a strong level of trust, allowing them to take risks so they can seek their best performances.

Before rehearsals, they spent time researching their roles and issues surrounding the play's time period, she said.

"They know how to do their homework," Brennen said. "I didn't have to do it for them."

Both actors have been pursuing their craft for years.

Born in Amsterdam, Antonius' family moved to Brazil when he was a baby. When he was 8 years old, he got his first taste of acting in musicals at a local Dutch club.

At 18, he was successful in trying out as a model for a toothpaste advertising campaign. He continued modeling and eventually began acting in soap operas, commercials, movies and theater.

Slade, who was born in Wales, built up her resume with plays and TV roles in Europe. She came to America about five years ago.

PETRUS ANTONIUS
BACKGROUND: Born in Amsterdam, Antonius' family moved to Brazil after World War II. He traveled to New York in 1976 to study acting and spent time in Los Angeles, where he met his wife of 27 years, Sandy. They moved to Florida in the mid-1990s.

CAREER: Along with dozens of theater roles, Antonius has appeared on TV shows including "Simon & Simon," "Knight Rider," movies of the week, telenovelas and commercials.

His film roles include playing General Martez in "The Celestine Prophecy." In 2005, he had a small role of a landlord in the film "Lonely Hearts" starring John Travolta and James Gandolfini.
Antonius recalled how the celebrity actors were gracious while the shooting took place in Jacksonville. Both men welcomed him right away, and he got a chance to speak with them on breaks.

Travolta was interested in hearing about Antonius' experiences growing up in Brazil. Antonius remembered how Gandolfini gave him a cigar after he learned that Antonius was performing in "Anna in the Tropics," a play set in Tampa's cigar industry.

LINDA SLADE
BACKGROUND: Born in Wales, Slade spent most of her childhood in England. About five years ago, she moved to Florida when she married Donald Land. She moved to Los Angeles a few years ago.

CAREER: Slade graduated from Cambridge University, The Drama Studio and The Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

While pursuing her acting career, Slade has traveled extensively to find work, including touring in plays throughout Europe.

She has also performed roles on BBC TV movies, hosted a Denmark radio chat show, and taken teaching jobs in the United States and England.

Living out of a suitcase and taking a variety of gigs has been necessary, she said.

"It's something you have to do to stay in the business," Slade said. "If you really want to be working, you take the work. It is exhausting."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: "A Picasso"

WHEN: 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N. Hubert Ave., Tampa

INFORMATION: Call (813) 879-2914 or visit www.gorilla theatre.com/

Reporter Jason Geary can be reached at (813) 865-1505 or jgeary@tampatrib.com.

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