LENNY AT LARGE: Scott Sweatt stars in New Rep production of Steve Martin comedy

Scott Sweatt had hoped to play many roles as an actor. Pablo Picasso wasn't one that readily came to mind. Even more far-fetched was playing Picasso in a play written by Steve Martin. Yeah, THAT Steve Martin, the funny guy in the movies.

"I hadn't seen the show," says Sweatt, "but I'd heard about it from friends who'd seen it. They said it was very well-received."

Now those friends can see Sweatt in the play. "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," will be staged through May 10 at New Rep's Mosesian Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown.

The time is 1904, the central figures are Picasso and Albert Einstein, who meet at a bar in Paris. They are young, and as yet undistinguished. "Two geniuses before they were geniuses," says Sweatt. "Every day guys."

The play, Sweatt says, "reminds us we all have the potential to impact the century we're in." Picasso and Einstein mull what, in the new century, will matter more, art or science. The debate is full of possibilities, and in Martin's hands hardly bereft of humor.

Given Martin's genius to make us laugh, Sweatt says "it's a very funny play. Martin is a very smart man. He says some good stuff as a comic attuned to the world. Beyond that, there's a great parallel between the meeting of an artist and scientist. There is an overlap between them."

Sweatt, a New Hampshire native, quickly gravitated to the theater. "At some point in high school I realized this is what I wanted to do." Prior to attending Skidmore College, Sweatt had been cast in mostly musicals. College changed that. "It opened by eyes beyond musical theater. I studied in London, expanding my definition of theater."

When he enrolled at Columbia, things really took off. "It was an incredible experience for three years; it was where I started flexing my muscles as an actor." It's led him to powerful roles like Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Playing Picasso has been an education in itself. "He was a hungry, hungry man to achieve something," says Sweatt. "He recognized the energy of Paris as the place he needed to be. In order to live up to his ego and mystique, he created things to create that mythology. He wanted something that would change the art world." His works did just that.

Sweatt credits a high school theater teacher for where he is now. "She opened that door for me, that you could explore people and the world. Theater was more than being funny or singing a song."

While in high school, Sweatt was cast as Jack in "Into The Woods." The role resonated with him. He played the young boy with a cow. "I grew up on a farm. I had a cow. I was able to bring more of myself (to the role)."

Sweatt has found a home at New Rep. He's appeared in "Othello" and "Of Mice And Men" on tour with the company, bringing theater to New England high schools and middle schools. In some cases, the students are being exposed to theater for the first time. Hey, it beats algebra class.

In "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," Neil Casey plays Einstein. "It's the first time we've worked together," says Sweatt. "He's a very funny guy."

This is how they play their roles: "It's two great minds meeting, and there's a lot of sniffing each other out," says Sweatt, "like two dogs circling each other until they realize they're the same."

Sweatt calls Boston home now, but when he has some down time he heads for the hills of home. "I go back to New Hampshire, to the family farm, and climb a mountain."

After all, following playing a genius, one must clear the mind for the next thing that comes along.

The New Repertory Theatre's production of "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," a comedy by Steve Martin, runs today through May 10 at Arsenal Center for the Arts, Charles Mosesian Theater, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. Tickets are $35-$55. Call 617-923-8487 or visit www.newrep.org.