Tags: Theater
By Joyce Anne Ponciano
MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA – Across cultures and transcending boundaries, statements against men are held. Women have been calling them pigs or worse, a person’s rear end.
These accounts are shared to close girl friends – if not aired in interviews, made into movies, printed in books, painted on canvasses and staged as plays. So what do and how much have men said in response?
Actor and comedian Rob Becker literally stood and spoke up for his kind. Having written the script in three years, he starred in the longest running solo play that focused on “Defending the Caveman”.
Since 1991, the critically acclaimed Broadway comedy about the sexes has reached 45 countries to date.
Presented on Philippine stage for the second time, I take it there was enthusiasm to understand how the Filipino culture related to the American play, winner of the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.
Stage actor Joel Trinidad carried out the play’s monologue for its first and second run. Having seen him in local productions like “Avenue Q” and “Spelling Bee”, Defending the Caveman warranted his precise performance. One cannot tell if he was acting or genuinely chuckling while he delivered his lines, which he delivered as if they were his own thoughts to share.
His good vocal quality and fluent speech efficiently engaged the audience to – for lack of a more apt description – go back to the caves with him.
Ancient history (or prehistory) showed the differences of men and women. The caveman built the cave and crafted a spear to hunt for his family while putting his cavewoman (again, for lack of a better term) in a pedestal. The cavewoman owns the cave and uses a basket while wandering and gathering to be able to nurture the family. Not surprisingly, that cave is still in existence.
Now a metaphor, the cave is a modern house, living in it are still the caveman and the cavewoman. Distinguishable yet common nuances we all have observed and/or experienced between the sexes were enumerated to strengthen this claim.
These were not primarily what enthralled the Filipino audience to the satires and sarcasm of the play. It was the justification of the premise that those nuances are prevalent of spears and basket as the cause of the lovely and chaotic battle of the sexes.
Men and their interaction with each other involves drills and carpentry, cars and garages, fishing, beers and watching TV, and other seemingly mundane activities. This is because they use an “instrument” to hunt down towards one goal. Meanwhile, women’s interaction is loaded with words to give and receive because they have “baskets” to gather vast details.
If we think ego is the reason why men rarely converse but instead focus on bragging toys and creations, it is merely a spear that they solely have and use. After all they still are cavemen. They have a spear that moves only in one direction, they do not communicate two-way; hence, they have slower revolutions per minute (RPM).
If we think sensitivity and emotions are the factors why women converse intimately and in detail, it is rather because they still carry around a basket. They still are cavewomen, they have deep and wide baskets to fill, they communicate to gather a variety of intricate details and fill up the basket; hence, they have faster RPM.
It apparently seems that the play characterizes Filipino men and women, respectively, as mayabang (arrogant) and chismosa (rumormonger or tattletale). These contrasting traits elicited tender nudges and affectionate laughs between couples in the audience.
Take for example a modern caveman watching TV when a cavewoman suddenly talking to him. Having a one-track mind, the caveman is united with his instrument (in this case, the remote). He wields the instrument to accomplish a goal that is to watch TV. In his territory, he hears noise but is unable to recognize it as the cavewoman’s voice.
He continues to “hunt” for a TV program. The cavewoman, being emotional, speaks louder to be heard but to no avail. Now the caveman identifies the noise as an angry cavewoman. He asks with annoyance because of the interruption. With her sensitivity in high gear, she responds, “Nothing.” By now she labels him a pig. Like all disagreements, this urges them to talk.
The cavewoman talks about her emotions (coming from her basket and faster RPM) and says: “Don’t you love me anymore?” The caveman, armed mainly with thrusting motions of his spear, finds it hard to accommodate and exhibit softness, replies: “I worship you; I kiss the ground you walk. But I watch TV, now go away.”
With this kind of interaction, no wonder women call men well, like the rear end of a person.
Along with similar “cave interactions” performed on stage, the play reiterated to view them as sweet quirks and light follies. Different languages are spoken, thus it is only natural to result to cross fires during cross over. Personally, it didn’t entirely defend men. It celebrated the unique differences of men and women that create any relationship a one-of-a-kind union of love incomparable to other couples.
Expectedly, no reconciliation of the caveman and cavewoman differences was offered. It is after all and aptly titled – to defend the caveman. Leave the work to the cavewoman with the faster RPM.
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