What a pure psychological funfest. The only monosyllables here were in the
Caveman banter and the terse remarks of Vince Valentine responding to his
buddies. This longest running solo play
in Broadway history is filled with psychological nuances and text book truisms
turned into hilarity. There was
something for everyone from steel worker to college professor. From female executive to mother, and
grandmother, everyone was laughing. It’s
a tossup as to who laughed harder, the men or the women.
Whether you’re in a relationship or
know someone in a relationship, Defending the Caveman will have your roaring
with laughter and nudging each other affectionately as you recognize yourselves
or friends. There is no topic sacred or untouched
as this one-man blitzkrieg tackles contemporary feminism, masculine “sensitivity”
and even the erogenous zone!
You just cannot resist being pulled
in to the caveman history of the show relegating men to hunters and women to
gatherers. The writer Rob Becker delved
into a lot of socio-primitive history books for this one and a few
psychological journals also.
Laughter aside, I think a few
couples left the theatre with just a little more understanding of each
other. Comedy can be therapeutic and
also enlightening and Vince Valentine drew you in with his hilarious facial expressions
sometimes expressing real pain and confusion.
Are the comical case studies like men falling asleep after sex
trite? Absolutely! Is there anything new
about men going right for what they want in a store, “buying” and women “shopping”
falling back on their hunter gatherer, rolls?
Hell no! But the journey that Rob
Becker and Vince Valentine take you on will meander through your whole body,
mind, heart and soul if you let it.
A “middle aged” gentleman in front
of my guest and I laughed so hard that I thought he might crack a rib. We watched men pulling their wives a little
closer to them and women doubled over in hysterics. Few in the audience were untouched even by
the ending when Vincent sits in his armchair designed like hewn rock to
simulate his “man cave” and pontificates about his confusion sometimes and
trials in his marriage. Often
during the
performance his hat is off to his wife who is a multi talented multi-tasker as
most women are. And Rob Becker does have
a tendency to celebrate differences between men and women much in favor of
women. But if the ladies were listening
they found a new understanding out of humor for the things that often cause
challenges in relationships because men are “not just different but often have
much simpler needs and definitely a simpler agenda.” I know I did which definitely shed some light
on both past and current relationships.
Thank you Rob Becker for your insight!
Thank you Vincent Valentine for your often frantic but very deft
interpretation and thank you to the Pittsburgh CLO for understanding that the “battle
of the sexes” is age old and will never go out of style!
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| Vince Valentine in his Rock Chair with Hunter's Spear, BASIC! |
You can see Vincent Valentine in Defending the Caveman at the very
intimate Cabaret Theatre through September 8 and John Venable in the same roll
from September 11 to October 20. Don’t
miss it if you want a deeper understanding of your male/female relationships or
if you just want some deep belly laughs and a rollicking good time.
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