10:00am Saturday 4th July 2009
By Lucie Richards
Defending The Caveman
The Haymarket
MEN and women – the hunters and the gatherers – were the theme of a hilarious evening of comedy and insight at a packed Haymarket theatre last week.
Mark Little – formerly Joe Mangel in Neighbours – took his audience back to the time of the caveman, presenting the argument that male and female behaviour all harks back to our roles in prehistoric times, when – a long time ago – men honoured their women.
Written by Rob Becker and straight from London’s West End, Little demonstrates through examples with his long-suffering wife how men and women have a different culture, language and customs which lead to endless communication problems, as the sexes mutually treat each other as they would like to be treated themselves.
Although his material about the hilarious misinterpretations between men and women feature in most stand-up comics’ repertoires, it is the show’s approach that makes it original.
Men are the hunters who can only focus on one thing, the kill, and women are the gatherers, multi-taskers who take in all the “details” around them and gather berries – which in the modern world has evolved into shopping.
With a comic example of running out of Twiglets at a party, Little shows how women co-operate – they will all go together to get more – and how men negotiate – “I brought them”, “I ate them”, “I watched him eat them” – and the disastrous consequences of mixed company.
Everything is covered, from conversation, the home, fights, compliments, logic – something women are not “hindered” by – and the allocation of words per day, which for women is a minimum of 7,000, and a maximum of 2,000 for men. Hence their grunting when they have run out of the day’s quota.
But for all the giggles and guffaws of the audience, Defending The Caveman makes some interesting observations about the sexes, explaining why relationship advice charity RELATE is a partner in the production.
The show will not solve anyone’s marital problems, but the audience may have left the Haymarket with a marginally heightened respect for the opposite sex, at least for the rest of the evening.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/trade_directory/