Defending The Caveman holds the record as the longest running solo play in Broadway history. It has toured 30 countries worldwide, been seen by 5 million people and translated into 16 different languages. Jeremy Williams talks to the star of the show Mark Little.
Aussie actor Mark Little (you will no doubt recognise him as Joe Mangel from Neighbours), has been based on these shores since the early 90's and therefore considers himself an Aussie Brit. Currently he is rehearsing for Defending The Caveman, a comedy play running over the next three weeks at the West End's Leicester Square Theatre: “It's a play that's been around a long time for me. I won the Olivier Award for it in 2000, so this year marks ten years that I've been involved in this play.”
Having made the smooth transition from ex-Neighbours star to comedian, Little clearly feels a connection with Rob Becker's comic exploration of the male of the species. “Really it's about why men seem to annoy women so much, that's where a lot of its humour comes from. The caveman has a pretty bad reputation, for being stupid, oafish. The truth is that the caveman was a protector and a provider who worshiped his cavewoman. It was totally different to what we've been lead to believe.”
Given that Little has remained faithful to the piece for a decade, surely there must be something more that connects him with the piece? “Way back in cavemen times there were initiation periods to say you've gone from a boy to a man. My Dad never taught me how to be a man. There is no guidance anymore, so you have all these forty-year-old boys running around.” Little believes that: “men and women are equal but it doesn't mean we are the same”, something which he hopes Defending The Caveman will demonstrate.
In his eyes, it isn't about 'Boy Power', it's more - redefining roles. “Men have been asked to find their feminine side, so we now have a whole generation of men who have found their feminine side so much that they are in the mirror more than girls. We don't know whether we are Arthur or Martha!" Far from being a metrosexual himself however, Little likes to celebrate the differences between men and women: “Anyone who has been in a relationship for more than five minutes loves this play. The longer you've been in a relationship, the funnier it gets. It looks at how we cope with one another and why men seem to piss women off so much. It's because we are different.”
After spending a notable absence from our television screens, the former Big Brother presenter did briefly return to Neighbours in 2005; but believes it is now past its sell-by-date. “It's embarrassing really isn't it. I was part of Neighbours when it was successful. There are some great artists over there but they call it a 'brain drain'. There are so many great Aussie artists who leave the country as it is too hard to explore that avenue of expression.”
Unlike many others, he never saw Neighbours as a 'launchpad'. "It's a false impression. There have been hundreds of people going through Home & Away and Neighbours, but only a small handful have done any good. You could name them on one hand – Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce, Jesse Spencer. That's not many. For the rest of us, it is a bit of a millstone around our necks as people don't take you seriously. Even the fact that Russell Crowe was on Neighbours is laughed at.” So what screen roles does he get offered now? “Reality TV. They keep asking me to do Big Brother or the jungle and I just say no. It has been hard as an actor the past few years on television, so I am lucky to have the theatre.”
With Defending The Caveman on tour till May, Little is also excited about his return to Kilburn's Cock Tavern Theatre to work alongside fellow Aussie, the director Adam Spreadbury-Maher. “He (Adam) needs to be supported, not just because he is Aussie but because he is smart, focused and determined. The hardest thing about living in Australia as an artist is that it isn't perceived as cultural, it is known as a sporting nation. We will be doing a great Aussie play called Stretch of the Imagination which is a stunning piece of literature.” Far from believing that there is no hope for the entertainment industry, Little is as optimistic about it as he is the state of the male species. “We are coming out of the dark age. I have to stay optimistic. My sons are 18 and 24, they are both into performance and I love what they do. It is modern and fresh, so I have a lot of faith in the new generation.”
Defending the Caveman will run at Leicester Square Theatre from 2nd-21st February
See all London comedy
See all London theatre
Add an event