Defending the Man Cave is Humorous Work
By The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
Feb. 8–VINCE VALENTINE — it’s his real name, he swears, on a stack of red paper hearts — brings a comic valentine to Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Valentine’s Day. It’s Defending the Caveman, a chuckle-filled romp about men, women and the eternal battle of the sexes.
And, as if his name and the date he’s playing here weren’t enough, he’ll also celebrate his 40th birthday that day, appearing in the show the Philadelphian has made his own since earning the right to perform it a couple of years ago.
Rob Becker first wrote and performed Caveman in the mid-1990s. Lowell native Michael Chiklis brought it to Broadway soon after for a short, successful run.
Now Valentine takes the laughter across the country on weekends, honing his comic chops in the process.
“It’s still Rob’s script, and it has the same set with a chair, TV, spear and cave paintings. But it’s been updated from 1994, when he created it. I’ve made it my own, adding my own jokes to it, Philly style. Every caveman brings his own individual style to the show,” he said.
Caveman’s basic premise is that men are hunters and women are gatherers. These distinct, in-born traits, honed over the ages, are the basis for their on-going sexual wars.
“You see it everywhere, from men not being able to find their way and refusing to ask for directions to differences in the way men and women shop. I’d go food shopping with my father. We’d be in and out in 20 minutes. My mother would wander the aisles, reading the labels and looking at all the new stuff,” he recalled.
Valentine, who works a day job as a union paper hanger, loved entertaining his family as a kid. But he didn’t start stand-up until he was in his 30s. He’s also done plenty of dinner theater, including a spoof of The Sopranos and Joey and Maria’s Italian Wedding.
“The shows were great, because they helped my improv skills. I love interacting with the audience. Now I’m pretty committed to Caveman,” he said.
But he wouldn’t mind following the lead of Ray Romano and Kevin James, two other blue-collar guys who made it big with TV series following successful stand-up careers.
“I would love a series — or a Budweiser commercial. But I love doing Caveman,” he said.
Defending the Caveman is at 8 p.m. on Valentine’s Day. Tickets $29.50, $39.50 and $49.50 at Auditorium box office, www.lowellauditorium.com or through Ticketmaster at (617) 931-2000 on www.tickemaster.com.
Nancye Tuttle’s e-mail address is ntuttle@lowellsun.com TASTE TEMPTERS: Wondering what to do when Winterfest winds down this weekend? How about warming up with the Restaurant Readings, two nights of free theater from Lowell’s inventive Image Theater Company? Tomorrow, sample The Carpenter, by Sandy Burns, and Beating Death, by George Masselam at Brew’d Awakenings Coffehaus on Market Street. Saturday, savor What We Save by Kelly DuMar, Hell of a Guy, by Jerry Bisantz, and It Is What It Is, by David Sullivan, at Mambo Grille, Merrimack Street. Shows start at 8 p.m. Free.
VILLAGE PEOPLE: The Young Company of the Village Theatre Project, a Nashoba Valley professional theater group, brings Children of Eden to the Groton-Dunstable Regional High School stage Feb. 21-25. The Stephen Schwartz-John Caird musical, based on Genesis, humorously examines the age-old conflict between parents and children. There are 46 kids in the show, including Joan-Seda Bejaniance and Sara Haddadi of Lowell, Shannon Stockwell of Littleton and Jerad Lawson of Westford. Christopher Chew, VTP co-artistic director and a Boston actor, directs the show. Tickets $12, adults; $10, students/seniors; $8, groups of 10 or more. www.thevtp.org or (978) 456-7898 for tickets and info.
‘LOVING’ CANCELED: I Can’t Stop Loving You, a musical based on Ray Charles’ music that was slated to play Lowell Memorial Auditorium on April 25, has been canceled and will not be rescheduled. Auditorium personnel announced the cancellation early this week. Refunds are available at the point of purchase. If you purchased tickets at a Ticketmaster outlet, you must return the tickets to the outlet where you purchased them to receive a refund.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
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