Nothing about the set of Caveman Play is very primal. Yes, there is a fire in the center of what is presumably a cave, but it crackles silently amid soft elevator music, and it’s as fake as if it showed on a TV screen. A stone wall is in the background with some weeds shooting up, but it’s offset by a screen projector and plastic bins. The shift from nomads to agriculturalists comes with a comically swift cleansing of all the grimness of natural life, according to the creators of Caveman Play. The characters go directly from caves to having 21st-century assets complete with a keyboard and business casual wear laid over the stone.
Written by Savannah Reich and directed by Clare Brennan, this production opens with the mild atmosphere of generic modern life, ironic given the play’s premodern title and the question that lies at its center: Was the historical shift to agriculture worth it? It sounds like fodder for a dense dissertation, but Rocky (Jack Rodgers) and Dandelion (Tess Galbiati), former cavemen, now civilized farmers, present the topic with a levity fitting for a toothpaste commercial, or a business plan proposal.
Dandelion maintains a cheery façade as best she can, despite opposition, signifying her undying faith in this invention. Like any good entrepreneur, she’s ambitious, and she’s bent on making her product sound just fantastic, and you’ll never catch her without a smile. Galbiati is very believable as this character type. The more the wonders of agriculture are contested, the more her visible cheeriness begins to crack. There is complexity to her character, and Galbiati wears it on her face. Rocky is her middle-class suburbanite-seeming sidekick, clearly less convinced of the agricultural project. It leaves less time for simple lollygagging, a typical activity of the shaman Chicken Feathers (Hannah Antman). Rodgers also convincingly complexifies his character. His façade masks some turbulence and persistent indecision, which is also a bit too warm and fuzzy. Despite these complexities, the production still has a lighthearted playfulness.
Dandelion and Rocky at times are like enthusiastic grade school teachers talking to an audience of kids sitting cross-legged on the carpet. Agriculture is apparently a happy, sunny topic. They invite us to raise our hands to answer simple questions about our emotions. Do we ever get lonely? Do we ever plan to go out shopping but end up just lying in bed with our shoes on? They have a fix. Their language is full of casual corporate niceties and would likely make good conversation at your office holiday party. They’ve even hilariously domesticated a tiger named Douglas (Evan Cullinan), who plays the keyboard and makes curt deadpan remarks. Even he, formerly savage, has a certain consumerist insouciance, as long as this whole agriculture thing keeps him fed. Hipster-bearded Cullinan wears a funny, baggy tiger costume aptly fitting his character’s lax persona, another compliment to costume designer Haleigh Kent.
Chicken Feathers, not so domesticated dress-wise, and manic as any good woodland-born shaman, is not so happy with the whole switch. Chicken Feathers bemoans what will come of it: cancer, nuclear war, climate change, fast food, popcorn-sticky movie theater floors! The whole thing is a mess, and they try to turn the audience and indecisive Rocky to their side. Among the many moments of audience interaction in this play, Antman’s was the most memorable. Pointing at each member of the audience and assigning them goofy names, like Mugsy and Sunshine and Skylar, they diagnose their future problems, spiraled out of control by the introduction of agriculture. One-hour commutes both ways. Internet addiction. Student loans!
Dandelion gives a final go at justifying her cause. Her swell of belief in mankind’s civilized destiny culminates in an inspiring speech. She proclaims herself among the people in the world who not only need difficulty to push against but find, in the end, that suffering is necessary—and beautiful. It makes for a nice break of sincerity after a satiating fill of Rodgers’ silly dancing and Antman’s wild antics.
The audience interaction in the play works very well in the small space of the Edge Off Broadway. While more introverted audience members may be reluctant to participate, the cast members are inviting and won’t put you on the spot or embarrass you. There are a few moments where the audience members can have an actual effect on the play, which gives it more vitality; without that, a certain charm would be lacking. I think as an interactive play, Caveman Play succeeds. However, while this was not meant to be a scholarly submersion in the topic, the play at times can feel too superficial. The performances are enjoyable, though, and the script feels complete, if not deep. I also happily note that no ideology dominates the play, allowing the audience to make up their own minds.
Red Theater’s Caveman Play continues through December 30 at the Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. It shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $25.
For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.
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