—WMorth Shore News - 15 & Tbe Mate Intellect: an Oxeymoron? by Robert Dubac at The Vogue Theaire to April 16 (286-4444). Martin Millerc: Crertain Call monillerchip@nsnews.com ROBERT Dubac is lec- turing on the magic of creation; how the magic combining of chromo- somes will create “a rational sensitive human being.” He pauses for just the right amount of time — “Or it’s a boy.” Tf you've experienced stand-up comedy you have likely run across the male comic who does- n’t “get” women and uses the premise to tee off on female habits like shopping or chatting. Likewise, there are female comics who make a living out of satinizing a man’s inability to put ‘the lid down, let go the channel changer or keep his pants up (or on). Occasionally, the comics reverse their roles but the topic of the benween the sexes has been fertile ground since Adam dared to suggest that Eve took a bigger bite from the fruit of knowledge. US. playwright and actor Robert Dubae purports to bridge thar gulf of understanding lying between man and woman in his play Male Intellect: azt Oxymoron? In the setup, he plays Bobby (writing what he knows?) who has, perhaps, been dumped by his fiancée. Bobby said he needed more spxe as in not having the cat sleeping on his face and she said he should take two weeks to think about their relationship at the end of which she will call him. The call is due in 90 minutes time (a smart device to add some degree of suspense and urgency to the one-man format) and Bobby is frantically rrying to figure out what she wants and what he should say. The self-help relation- ship books aren’t helping, the tides alone con- tradict one another. Dubac lets his audience know right away that Bobby is not going to get a free ride in his play and that he screwed up a little more than just forgetting the cat’s name. If there are going to be jokes at the expense of women there are going to be just as many at the expense of men — “She said I couldn’t communicate without swearing, That’s builshit.” The curtain rises on the inside of Bobby's Finally a Barbecue built for Vancouver's worst weather! * All stainless steel construction © Porcelain coated grilis ¢ Stainless steel burners ® Precision brass valving © Comes with rotisserie kit Quality You Can't Afford Not to Own! Family owned & open it’s not what | would call a set design, but stage left is a jumble of chesterfield, posters, Sports equipment and a filing cabinet that keeps beer under the *B’. Ifyou assumed that this represents the male half of Bobby's brain and that the walipapered flat with the swazged fabric stage right is Bobby's female hemisphere, you assumed correctly. The fact that it prompts Bobby in a seductive female voice without giving him any categorical answers is another clue. H you don’t ger this, don’t worry. Bobby explains it all as he goes. And that was my biggest problem with the show. It’s all spelled out in capital letters so chat everyone from Surrey gets it. (Yes, the obligato- ry local references have been added — besides the Surrey groaner, the Canadian dream is “a two-storey house in West Vancouver”) Bobby has gotten his life advice trom five male chauyinist stereotypes: all beautifully real- ized by Dubac and al! of whom seemed familiar. It’s true that men are likely to get their early understanding of women trom other men b hands up how many guys have all been men- tored by: a retired army vet whose excuse to act like a jerk is to teil a woman he’s a jerk right off the bat; a French student philosopher who speaks in mindless metaphors while waiting for his accent to seduce women; a 23-year-old bachelor still fishing for his perfect mermaid; an aggressive womanizer with a fear of rejection who theorizes all women are Jooking to trade up their men for the BBD (bigger, better deal); and an orphan of the Bronx who, in dumb ignorance, actually finds love — a commodity that is completely missing from Bobby’s charac- ter, subsumed by relationship fever. I really enjoyed Dubac’s portrayal of these men, and his sometimes hilarious observations phote supplied — “I never hear you ask ‘Does this dress make PLAYWRIGHT and actor Robert Dubac struggles to understand what women rea!- me look intelligent?*” — but his perpetuation ly want In The Male {ntellect: an Oxymoron?, playing at The Voque Theatre. of stereotypes also made me squirm sometimes: men drink a lot; men can’t dance. Some men do and a lor of men can’t, but the same goes for women. a The Male Intellect: an Oxymoron? is funny — 0 the women in front of me sent out for beer e WE iS i] Wa er three times they were having so much fun. But a in its desire to offend no one, or both sexes equally, the play stoops to stereotype and there- saree" | These are 100% waterproof. DISS i eeeeneeeen eins ; mm (Closed Suriday),- 101-1200 Lonsdate Ave. at 12th « nsa@teius.net [OER TEESE SCT e Ser Peeeeee ss: