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By KATHY GREENBERG, Tribune correspondent

Published: December 14, 2007

Updated: 12/13/2007 11:33 pm

TAMPA - According to Chris Sullivan, problems between men and women stem from one fundamental difference: Men are hunters and women are gatherers. Despite thousands of years of evolution, the sexual revolution, self-help books and Dr. Phil, those prehistoric roles most likely are permanently ingrained in our Homo sapiens psyche.

Sullivan dropped this little time bomb via "Defending the Caveman" at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. But please don't shoot the messenger; if anyone is to blame for setting gender bias in stone, it's Rob Becker, who wrote the one-man play after three years researching anthropology, prehistory, psychology, sociology and mythology.

The show opened on Broadway in 1995 and became the longest-running solo act in Broadway's history, going on to achieve worldwide acclaim. In 2002, Becker asked Sullivan to cover part of the national tour.

Sullivan personalized the show, drawing from experiences with his wife, Nicole, and his male friends. Through numerous examples that paralleled prehistoric behavior with contemporary expectations, the actor/comedian explained why men and women often cannot relate.

Per Sullivan: As hunters, men are inclined to focus on one task at a time, and women, as gatherers, collect dispersed information and store it for future use. Take the television remote control, for example. Men flip through channels, hunting programs like a herd of bison and killing them with each click of the button. Women, on the other hand, stop at each station and take time to learn what is available before moving on to the next berry bush, or channel.

Another example is the dreaded road trip. When lost, a woman might suggest to a male driver that directions could be useful. Again, the female works to acquire details. For the male, however, this strategy not only interrupts the linear progression toward a goal, but it also emasculates him.

With good humor and charm, Sullivan painted a broad stroke across the cave wall, generalizing the sexes in situations that ranged from shopping to socializing to communicating to cleaning. Despite the obvious cliches, this was no misogynistic rant. Rather, it was a sensitive, sincere exploration of the gender gap.

The upshot was that the qualities that irritate, if not enrage, us now were once intended to protect and honor the opposite sex. They are echoes of our primitive past that refuse to go away and we'd better get used to it.

So the next time someone leaves dirty underwear on the bathroom floor or interrupts a football game to "talk," remember that it's just the caveman, or cavewoman, calling.

ON STAGE

"Defending the Caveman"

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 4 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Jaeb Theater, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa

HOW MUCH: $39.50; (813) 222-1001, www.tbpac.org

INFORMATION: An additional performance of "Defending the Caveman" will be at 7:30 p.m. March 21 in Ferguson Hall. All seats are $39.50 and are on sale.

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