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April 7, 2015
Funnyman Robert Dubac on His Two Provocative Plays: 'The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?' and 'The Book of Moron'

DUBAC_duct_smiley_hires_CMYK.jpgRobert Dubac is bringing his humor and talent to New York City with two crowd-pleasing one-man shows.  The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? follows Dubac's journey figuring out what women want, while The Book of Moron seeks to find the truth in an endless vacuum of hype and spin. How does one make sense of these age-old phenomenons? Well, while there are no guarantees in life, Dubac's performances promise to stimulate your brain and leave you thinking on a different level -- right after you've picked yourself up off of the floor from laughing so hard!

StageBuddy had the chance to chat more with Dubac about his audacious sense of humor, what audiences can expect that may surprise them, and his hope for comics everywhere!

Robert, I cannot remember the last time I laughed so much. What inspired these plays?

Robert Dubac: Thanks so much. I actually came up with the titles years before I even sat down to write the plays. I would often find myself pondering the fact that the world seems to be getting dumber, and we're all so bombarded by hype and spin -- making it hard to tell the difference between truth and illusion. I would catch myself in real life asking "Are we all making the same mistakes?"

Was it difficult getting the idea to catch on?

When I began writing the plays, I got so much criticism [for them being politically incorrect] that I had to set them aside for awhile. It became evident that I was writing too early, before people were ready to accept it.

Well, it seems that the public is on board now! In addition to tickling our funny bones, what can audiences expect from both plays that may surprise them?

I think the biggest surprise is using humor to make people think. Humor that contains more depth is more provocative -- it's really about being able to layer comedy. What I mean by that is, people don't realize that they are being taught anything and then they go home and start to think about it. All of a sudden, they may be hit with new ideas and philosophies about the bigger picture.

The audience also gets to experience you transitioning from one character to the next, how do you prepare to do that?

Well, that's a dramatic acting technique that I've worked on for some time now. At this point, it comes naturally and allows me to slip in and out.

Fair enough. What would you say sets your work apart from the rest?

Mine is trying to take a mature male opinion, which is very rare today. I see men around my age [in their 40s and 50s] trying to act like teenagers -- which is embarrassing. They aren't very good mentors and I don't see how our culture can move forward. I strive to find some kind of balance and find it necessary to check yourself sometimes. My systematic delivery allows people to think about [why and if it's appropriate] to be laughing -- not just a knee-jerk reaction -- and giving yourself permission to laugh once you've thought about it.

874651_f70648fd246d24caea6826bbd23e29c4.jpg_srb_p_335_541_75_22_0.50_1.20_0Describe your sense of humor.

Smart, provocative and clever.

Are there any comedians that you admire or have inspired your career?

I've been mainly influenced by actors and writers -- people like Richard Pryor and Steve Martin who have very distinct voices. And, of course, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

What has been the proudest moment in seeing both comedies come to life on stage?

Well, I've always wanted to do these shows in rep -- it's like having twins! People are enjoying seeing both [one after the other] and are enthusiastic about making a day out of it.

Any final words?

Since a lot of people are sucked into the hype and spin today stemming from celebrities and/or their friends, we need people who have seen these shows to be our soldiers and spread the word. The truth depends on it!

Amen!

The Book of Moron and The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? will be performed in rep at Urban Stages through April 26th.

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Written by: Courtney Marie
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