We are in a New Age!

Over the past few months, I’ve fallen so in love with this zany, brilliant, stupid musical about cavepeople that I’ve determined it might be the best musical ever–or at least, the musical we all need right now. This piece deftly blends important and pressing themes related to climate change and human responsibility with juvenile humor and hilariously ignorant characters. These past few years have been so heavy for us all–laden with pandemic and wildfires and ice storms. As we’ve grappled with existential questions related to the environment and even the erosion of the democracy we’re meant to be living under, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we all need more laughter in our lives. 

Rehearsals for this show have been outrageously fun as we’ve played with physical comedy, improvisation, timing and rhythm, and word play. It was delightful working in the round and exploring audience interactions. Watching this talented and generous group of students collaborate to tell this story fills me with hope for the future. We have serious problems, and we need to “fix ourselves so we deserve” this beautiful world we get to live in–and essential to this process is that we share joy and jokes. The two forces at odds in this story–the need to be responsible and the need to pursue human progress–have to intertwine if we’re going to survive together. And with everything we’re up against, maybe we should just worship a duck and laugh our assess off. 

-Lindsey Mantoan, Director