Defending the Caveman Review

Defending the Caveman Review He's back! Rob Becker brings
Defending the Caveman back to Sacramento
Reviewed by Joe Blenkle/Sacramento Stage & Theatre

Rob Becker stars in DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN at Sacramento's Community Center Theater Dec. 27, 2003 through Jan. 3, 2004.

    When we last saw Rob Becker, it was December of 2000 and he was - DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN. Well, Rob is back in town with his one-man show and it is as funny this time as it was the first.
    DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN plays at Sacramento's Community Center Theatre through Jan. 3 and is a commentary on the relationship between men (the hunters) and women (the gatherers).
    The show runs a little short of two hours and is hilarious the whole way through - mostly because Becker is right on cue with everything he says - from the male's inability to focus on more than one thing at a time, to the female's need to...well...gather (i.e. - shop 'till you drop & talk constantly - gathering information).

"If I read the paper, Erin (my wife) will try to talk to me...because she knows that she can read a paper and talk to me at the same time...I have to put my finger down!"

Becker began his career as a stand-up comedian in the San Francisco area in 1981, with his big break coming in 1989 when he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. In his one-man show, he relates everything to the caveman/cavewoman relationship. "I was always interested in the way that men and women perceive each other," says Becker. "I began to think of them as two different cultures, with different customs and rituals. It makes sense that we would evolve differently."
DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN was first performed in 1991 and was virtually an instant success. After stints all around the country, it opened on Broadway in 1995. The show had over 700 performances and has the record for the longest running solo play in Broadway history beating out Lily Tomlin's SEARCH FOR INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE and Jackie Mason's THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ME. In all, DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN has been performed before over two million people nationwide.

    After touring the country, Becker originally didn't have plans for an immediate jump to Broadway. "We were going to go off-Broadway," he says, "but a deal for a theater could not be reached. The Helen Hayes Theater approached us and since it was the right size (597 seats), we agreed. Once again we were very lucky because we had planned on going to Broadway at some point. This helped us skip a step."
    Becker pulls no punches in taking jabs at both sexes. In developing the show over a period of three years, he made his own studies of anthropology, prehistory, psychology, sociology and mythology -- and this comes across in the play. His explanations of why men and women act the way they do are completely real -- and have the members of the audience pointing fingers at each other and laughing with an, "oh, that explains why he/she does that," -- and, in general, having a lot of fun.
    DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN is one of the funniest shows you will ever see. Its humor extends across the gender barrier and will have everyone holding their sides by the time Becker raises a spear over his head to proclaim the show is done. For a sample of what to expect, visit the DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN web site. A home video has been in the works as well for quite some time now, but Becker is holding off until that magic performance can be caught on tape. Until then, the show is much more fun in person anyway!!!
    DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN plays at the Sacramento Community Center Theater through Jan. 3, 2004. Tickets are priced at $15-$55. Showtimes are at 8 p.m. daily with 2 p.m. matinees on Dec. 28, Jan. 2 and 3. A 5 p.m. performance has also been added on Jan. 3. For ticket information, call the Sacramento Community Center Theater box office (916) 264-5181, Wells Fargo Pavilion box office (916) 557-1999, or Tickets.com (916) 766-2277. Parents might note that DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN does have mild adult content and language.
    For more information on DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN and other Broadway Series productions, visit the California Musical Theatre web site at: CaliforniaMusicalTheatre.com.

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