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| Searching for lost manhood in a cave of comedy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Chris Page, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| February 14, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Is there any wonder he’d fantasize of a better, burlier time? OK, so that’s a bit much. But it’s hearty comic fodder for a stage show called “Defending the Caveman,” making its return to the Mesa Arts Center two years after first playing there. Written by Rob Becker and performed by Chicago actor Chris Sullivan (on a set resembling a “Flintstones” living room), “Caveman” is, at heart, a stand-up comic’s riff on “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus”-style gender relativism: Whereas women can endlessly gab on the phone, Sullivan says, “If a guy calls me up just to talk, I owe him money.” Becker wrote the show almost two decades ago, and the flimsy junk psychology (women speak more words per day than men do) and well-worn comic stereotypes (what’s up with women’s cold feet in bed? And the bathroom towels we’re not allowed to use?), sad to say, have not aged particularly well. Still, Becker’s script does get a few pop culture updates, like a “Deal or No Deal” reference. Mostly, it’s up to Sullivan to sell the show. And he does a bang-up job. The actor’s somewhat pudgier than he was two years ago, a welcome hint of “lovable oaf” in his everyday Joe, and he seems more familiar with the material, wringing every possible laugh from the script. Sullivan keeps the mood light, especially when “Caveman” wants to veer into the dangerous realm of couples pseudo-counseling. Still, the show does come off as a light balm for the seven-year itch; if anything it’s an oddly male-empowering antithesis to popular estrogen-centric fare like “Menopause the Musical” and “Girls Night: The Musical” that has played local stages recently. Guys, after all, deserve a little time in the spotlight. That garage can get pretty lonely after awhile. THEATER REVIEW ‘Defending the Caveman’When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closing Feb. 17 Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. Cost: $42 Information: (480) 644-6500 or www.mesaartscenter.com — Grade: B Contact Chris Page by email, or phone (480) 898-5656 |
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