In excellent news for fans of the 1981 American slapstick comedy film Caveman, that film's star has announced an Australian tour.
Aussie fans of the cult film — which told the tale of Atouk, a buffoonish caveman who falls in with a group of prehistoric misfits, encounters dinosaurs and discovers sedative drugs, fire, cooking and music — have been begging Ringo Starr to come Down Under for years, and he's finally relented.
While Caveman was his breakout moment, Starr also appeared in The Magic Christian, That'll Be The Day, Son Of Dracula, Lisztomania and Sextette. A favourite of Richard Lester, he had a recurring role in the British director's films, A Hard Day's Night and Help, and reprised the role as a favour to his castmates in Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine and Let It Be.
Outside his film work, Starr is beloved by generations of fans for narrating the first two seasons of Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends. In 1991, noted Caveman fan Matt Groening cast Starr in a cameo appearance on The Simpsons; in 2002, Starr's unlikely friendship with musician Eric Clapton afforded him the opportunity to appear in The Concert For George at the Royal Albert Hall.
No stranger to celebrity — Starr has acted alongside the likes of Timothy Dalton, Peter Sellers, John Cleese, Christopher Lee, Raquel Welch, Richard Attenborough, Dom DeLuise, Keith Moon, David Essex, Harry Nilsson, Roger Daltrey, Mae West and Wilfrid Brambell — he's managed to round up an All Starr band to indulge his musical whimsy.
Honestly, even if Ringo didn't have such an extensive filmography, it'd be worth the price of a ticket just to see this band, which includes Todd Rundgren, Steve Lukather (Toto), Gregg Rolie (Journey), Richard Page, Mark Rivera and Gregg Bissonette.
Sadly, Starr's Caveman castmates — Dennis Quaid ("the cute one"), Shelley Long ("the smart one") and Barbara Bach ("the quiet one") — will not be joining him on tour.
Ringo Starr and friends will pull into the following stations:
Mon Feb 11 - Brisbane Convention CentreWed Feb 13 - Horden Pavillion (Sydney)
Sat Feb 16 - Festival Hall (Melbourne)
Tue Feb 19 - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Thu Feb 21 - Challenge Stadium (Perth)
