Defending The Caveman

Tonight Shoko and I went to a restaurant in downtown Dallas called Iron Cactus and then to see Rob Becker's one-man play "Defending The Caveman" at the 85-year old Majestic Theater.

The restaurant is a transplant from Austin's famous Sixth Street and was surprisingly good. I had a spicy pork tenderloin served with fresh vegetables and a super cheese/potato side and Shoko had a Caesar salad topped with marinated steak. Yum on all counts. For dessert we had a "vanilla bean" flan with a partially carmelized banana. The service was great, the ambiance very 'hip' (though not too crowded). The only disappointment was the margarita. It was refreshing but not spectacular. Perhaps, I am too used to the great margaritas available at Taco Diner and Mi Cocina.

I had wanted to see Defending The Caveman for 10 years since Rob Becker first started performing it in New York and traveling around the country with it. He is spectacular as one would expect for someone who has done essentially the same act for the last 10 years. It was a very enjoyable evening with a lot of laughs. Even though you may not have heard of this show, you have heard some of the essential ideas in the material - men are hunters, women are gatherers; men solve problems through negotiation, women solve problems through collaboration, etc... I have no doubt that this material was innovative at the time, but today, probably as a direct result of Mr. Becker's success, the material feels somewhat tired. It doesn't help that some of the metaphors used (for example, the television remote control and the idea of a woman interrupting a man's TV show) are dated in light of today's modern conveniences like TiVo. Nevertheless, it was a fun night out for a Wednesday.