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Review: 'The Male Intellect: an oxymoron?'
One-man show presents two points of view in battle of the sexes

Some of the greatest minds of the late 20th and early 21st centuries have expended considerable energy debating a very basic, yet extremely important question: If women are born with two X chromosomes and men with only one, what does that REALLY mean?
Leave it to a thespian to answer it in only 90 minutes!
As explained by actor/writer Robert Dubac near the beginning of his very funny one-man show, "The Male Intellect: an oxymoron?," the answer is incredibly simple: It means that men understand women only half the time – and that's only when we're listening!
Such observations might be deemed sexist by those without a sense of humor Рor by those who never spent much time hanging or living with members of the opposite sex -but the enthusiastic response Dubac received from the mostly female audience at last week's preview at the City Theatre inside Detroit's Hockeytown CafŽ seemed to prove otherwise.
Comedy, you see, can be the great equalizer!
"The Male Intellect: an oxymoron?" is a laugh-filled evening of theater that combines stand-up comedy, wry monologues and short sketches to humorously discuss a topic that has plagued the male of the species since the dawn of time: What do women want?
Dubac doesn't have a clue, of course, and neither does anyone with a penis. But that doesn't stop the talented performer from taking his audience on an oft-tread journey that tries to make sense of what is commonly referred to as "the battle of the sexes."
The show opens with an announcement: The woman Bobby loves left him two weeks ago because he wanted "space" – not from her, but from her cat whose name he can't remember. As she left, Julie promised to call to see if he's figured out what it is that women want – and Bobby expects the call by the end of the performance. If Bobby learns the answer, will Julie come back to him?
Much of what men know about women comes from other men, of course, so Bobby sorts through his recollections searching for clues. But since the five most influential men in his life were chauvinists, what are his chances of stumbling on the secret? Can anything of value be gleaned from their rantings?
"Battle of the sex" plays are nothing new, of course; Shakespeare covered that territory more than 400 years ago. And stand-up comics have mined the material for decades.
Dubac's approach, however, is fresh. Bobby doesn't simply TELL us his thoughts, we get to watch them percolate as the right and left sides of his brain fight for dominance. We laugh at the stereotypical characters he brings to life, yet there's a sliver of insight in what they say. And yes, women change the rules on a whim, but men love The Three Stooges. Go figure.
If nothing else, Dubac does an excellent job proving what few dare speak out loud: Men and women are not equal; they are simply equally different. Now THERE's an oxymoron for you to ponder!
"The Male Intellect: an oxymoron?" Presented Thursday through Sunday at the City Theatre, 2301 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Oct. 6 – 24. Tickets: $20 – $29.50. 313-471-6611. www.olympiaentertainment.com.
The Bottom Line: A fresh look at an ages-old battle is enjoyable from start to finish – despite the laugh-filled "beatings" we men take in the process!

Theater Profile: Phases Theatre Company
Next phase for Phases: an evening of one acts and a fundraiser

Elana Elyce considers her company's first production, "The Trees Don't Bleed in Tuskegee," a "grand accomplishment." Now she's hoping lightning will strike twice.
"It was amazing," Elyce told Curtain Calls last week. "Not only was it a large cast, but the support was surprising. Each week saw larger and larger audiences."
It's that type of response Elyce wants for Phases Theatre Company's latest endeavor, "2 Old Plays and A New One," that closes this weekend at Detroit's popular Matrix Theatre.
The project features three one-act plays, each of which examines a different type of human relationship: "Soul Gone Home," by Langston Hughes, concerns a mother and her recently deceased 16-year-old son; "Shadows," an original piece by Debra Simone, ponders class distinctions when a sister objects to the marriage of her brother to his girlfriend; and a widow who wants to trade in her current boyfriend for a later model is the subject of "The Brown Overcoat" by Victor Sejour.
What initially attracted Elyce to the scripts were the different eras in which the stories take place. Two span the last 40 years, while "The Brown Overcoat" is from the 1800s. "But as we got into the pieces and thought about them a little more, we brought 'Overcoat' into the 1970s so the time separation wasn't so much," Elyce said.
There was another factor that made the decision easy for Elyce. "Langston Hughes is my absolute favorite writer, and any time I can do something that he wrote, I will," she added.
Six actors appear in the one-acts, including Elyce, whose work has been seen on numerous stages through the area. Direction was provided by Elyce, Debra Carter and Tim Carter.
The move from Hastings Street Ballroom to Matrix made sense, Elyce feels, because of the simplicity of the three short plays. "We wanted to try the more intimate space. It's a smaller house. It was a little big over there!"
And it's a move that has worked out well.
"Everybody [at Matrix] is really in my corner. They make sure everything runs smooth, and I appreciate that," she said.
Elyce's dream of creating a "theater in Detroit that has an African American spin" has its roots at the College of Wooster where the actress studied theater.
"It came out of me getting a group of women together to do a performance for an event," Elyce said. "We called ourselves Phases of Womanhood, and the dynamic of an ensemble was something I hadn't really experienced. Grinding for two weeks straight with 14 women was very empowering."
So when Elyce returned to Detroit, the idea of creating an ensemble appealed to her. And by 2006, she hopes to have her ensemble in place.
In the meantime, Elyce is planning a Valentine's Day fundraiser for Phases – "A Love Affair" – with dinner, dancing and entertainment. Scheduled for Feb. 12, the event – at $60 per couple – will be held at the City Tavern in Dearborn.
Then there's a spring show to consider.
But for now, "We're still piecing together some props and sets," Elyce laughed the day before the show's opening. "And all I can believe is that everything will come together!"
"2 Old Plays and A New One" Staged Friday through Sunday by Phases Theatre Company at Matrix Theatre, 2730 Bagley, Detroit, Oct. 1 – 10. Tickets: $15. 313-438-6096. For tickets to "A Love Affair," call 313-822-9530.

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