Review
Emily Gillispie
Staff Writer
Covered in course hair, hunched over and exceedingly uncivilized, the caveman's image throughout the centuries has been one of utter disgust. No one would have thought to "defend" him until Rob Becker came along, armed and ready with a play that compares the inadequacies of modern man to those of the misunderstood caveman.
Defending the Caveman is a hilarious comedy about the differences between men and women. With Becker as its only star, it seems more like a stand-up comedy act than a play.
From the beginning, Becker evokes laughs through simple facial expressions and hand gestures. What makes it so funny is there is no acting out between characters. It's more like a funny conversation among friends.
Don't let the simple props fool you, either - they're insignificant in comparison to the play's humor. The set is composed of two cave-painting replicas, a rock-like chair, a TV and a laundry basket. As far as the play is concerned, Becker himself would have been enough; the props just enhance the caveman motif.
"Men are all a-holes," are the first words the audience hears as the play opens. It begins with a video that documents the media hype on the war between the sexes, showing talk- fests like Sally Jesse Raphael and Oprah, along with books like Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.
The video then shows Rob and his wife Erin acting out their differences to the music of "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul. While Erin tries on her new suits, Rob is sifting through the dirty clothes, trying to figure out which shirt smells the cleanest.
We also see the couple fighting for the remote control; Rob hunting for his keys and Erin finding them; and Rob sitting on the toilet reading as Erin comes home from shopping. All of these rituals will be worked into the play later, and they are a cute way to sum it all up before Becker begins.
The one-act, one-man play is based on true events in Becker's life. This makes it hilarious because each audience member can relate to what Becker is talking about.
He begins with childhood and boyhood games like "kill the guy with the ball", which was simple because you knew who won. Then he remembers girl games like house, where girls actually pretended to do chores. This is when Becker says he first noticed the differences between the sexes.
The plot revolves around a party Becker went to where he learned that even his male friends thought men were jerks. The audience doesn't see the party, just Becker's frustration. He begins to think a caveman would prepare a ritual in that situation. Becker opts for the more modern ritual of spreading some sacred underwear, towels and even crumbs from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich all over his house.
It is in the circle of sacred underwear that Becker first "sees" the caveman. A glowing red light shines down from above as Becker sits in his chair.
After seeing the caveman, Becker realizes he must go back to the party and convince his friends that men are not jerks; they just have different customs.
The rest of the play is a funny twist on the roles of men and women in relation to the cave days. Becker relates it all to modern times as he describes men as hunters. They have their sphere, and they zoom in and focus on what they want and go for it. This just means men can't do a lot at once. As Becker puts it, men "don't just watch the TV, they become the TV."
He describes women as gatherers who must absorb everything. Such is the case with shopping, Becker said. While shopping, women must take everything in, touch everything. These gathering instincts allow women to shop without knowing what they want, while men's hunting instincts make them shop only if they absolutely must.
The play isn't about portraying men or women in a bad light. He describes women as having "amazing brains" that can store lots of information, while men just like to "hang out." Women just like details, according to Becker.
The play continues to compare the sexes in terms of intimacy, conversation and relationships.
One mishap did occur during the play. During his spice on territory, Becker detailed his routine night patrol of the house. As he pretended to look out his front window for an intruder, he screamed so loud he blew out his microphone. This left Becker standing on stage with no outside sound. He pulled it off well though, returning to the stage after a few minutes.
"That's never happened to me before," Becker said. "There's never been someone that big in the bushes!"
As the play concludes, Becker decides men are not jerks, and he likes being a man. Men and women have different strengths, and when these strengths come together, the relationship is stronger.
In the end, Defending the Caveman is a comedy that both sexes can relate to and enjoy. It's a play that teaches people to laugh, not only at each other, but at themselves.
Performances of Defending the Caveman are at 8 p.m. tonight, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. Tickets are $34 - $40 and are available through Ticketmaster. Call (713) 629-3700 for more information.