April 10, 2008 issue
Robert Dubac Presents The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? April 20
Story by Anna Oakes
Robert Dubac wants to serve up something more to the comedy consumer—that is, the one who appreciates thoughtful, provocative comedy, not the liquored-up club-goer eager to cackle at every swear word.
“It raises the bar a little bit,” the comedian said. “Clubs nowadays can be very pedestrian, and part of it is because of the constraints of a comedy club. “In a theater, it’s got a whole different dynamic to it.”
Dubac’s one-man show The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? combines stand-up comedy, theatre and performance art for 90 minutes of laughs. The performance comes to the Hayes Performing Arts Center in Blowing Rock on Sunday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Dubac developed the show in the early 1990s and has performed it thousands of times since then. He plays the character of Bobby, who recently was dumped by his fiancée and is ransacking his brain to confront the eternal male question: “What do women want?” Dubac also provides commentary from each of Bobby’s five chauvinist friends: a retired war hero, a French exchange student, a Jack Nicholson wannabe, a tattooed tough guy and an ancient fisherman, each offering his own unique and misguided insight into the feminine mystique.
But no, guys—it’s not a male-bashing ceremony.
“It’s an equal-opportunity offender,” Dubac said. “Women are more intrigued by it, but men are more satisfied by it. A lot of men think it’s a male-bashing show and it’s not.”
“It’s one of those rare universal topics that everybody can identify with,” he added.
With the benefit of theatrical devices such as costuming and lighting and a ton of practice, Dubac has whittled his show down to a fast-paced, witty and delightful 90 minutes.
“When it’s a comedy, it has to be bulletproof,” he said. “People have to laugh.”
And they do. The Chicago Tribune calls The Male Intellect “crafty and thought-provoking,” and The Denver Post praised its “razor sharp wit and acting.”
Tickets to the show are $26 for adults and $20 for students. The show is recommended for mature audiences. The Hayes Performing Arts Center is located at 152 Jamie Fort Road off U.S. Highway 321 in Blowing Rock. For more information, call 828-295-9627.
Want To Go?
Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Hayes Center, Blowing Rock
Cost: $26 adults/$20 students
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