Broadway’s smash comedy about the sexes, Defending the Caveman, comes to the Parker Arts, Culture and Events (PACE) Center on June 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. The wildly popular show written by Rob Becker is a peacemaker in the ongoing misunderstandings between men and women and is the longest running solo play in Broadway history.
Colorado native and CSU theater alum Cody Lyman stars in the touring show. Originally from Durango, Cody fostered and co-produced CSU Theatre Sports (now Clownbox Productions), still one of the most successful improv troupes in Colorado, and performed in theater productions across the Front Range. In 2000 Cody left the Rocky Mountains to move to Chicago. His work as a trolley-driving tour guide gave him a crash course in Chicago history, and allowed him to work his way through the famed Second City Conservatory. Cody was working professionally as an improviser and in children’s theatre when he joined Caveman in 2004. Between Caveman performances, Cody continues to develop other aspects of his career, appearing in national commercials (Buffalo Wild Wings), voiceovers (Coors), and feature films (“Eden Court”).
Caveman originally opened in San Francisco in 1991 and soon moved to Dallas. After a year in Dallas, Caveman went on to sold-out engagements in Washington DC, Philadelphia and Chicago, before opening on Broadway in 1995. After running two and a half years playing 702 performances at the Helen Hayes Theater, Caveman entered the record books as the longest running solo play in Broadway history. The “outrageously funny and surprisingly sweet exploration of the gender gap” (Chicago Sun-Times) has made Defending the Caveman “a comic phenomenon” (New York Times).
Caveman is a hilariously insightful play about the ways men and women relate that has both sexes roaring with laughter and recognition. In the audience, lots of affectionate nudging goes on during the performance and couples are commonly seen strolling out into the night holding hands. Caveman also has a loyal following in the therapy community, having been seen and recommended by thousands of psychologists and counselors.
With hilarious insights on contemporary feminism, masculine sensitivity and the erogenous zone, Defending the Caveman mines the common themes in relationships that go straight to the funny bone.
Tickets are available at www.PACEcenteronline.org, 303.805.6800 and at the PACE Center Box Office at 20000 Pikes Peak Ave. in downtown Parker.