The Umbilical Brothers
Fantastic physical follies.
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They have faced off against George Negus, played charades with Harry Shearer, have multi-platinum, award-winning DVDs, supported Take That just before Robbie left and N’Sync just before JT left (if you’d like Human Nature to break up just give them a call), performed for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance, served a ball into Pat Rafter’s backside in front of thousands, appeared on Jay Leno with their second biggest US fan Robin Williams, are regularly stalked by American and Australian women after the success of their kids TV show The Upside Down Show and sold out their debut season at the famous Tipi in Berlin.
Since 1991 The Umbilical Brothers have delighted fans around the world, as they twist theatrical rules and everyday situations into comedy triumph. Time Out NY called them “Australia’s hottest export since Vegemite”.
From Hawaii to Tokyo, New York to Stockholm, audiences have laughed like idiots at this acclaimed performance, as Shane and Dave use the entire comedy spectrum to convey their craft in their signature show, ‘Don’t Explain’. In its incarnation as ‘Thwak’, their New York show which ran for a year Off Broadway, the show was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Most Unique Theatrical Entertainment. Time Magazine called it ‘pure theatre and pure fun’.
The appeal of the show goes across generations. The children in the audience were as enthralled by the physical comedy as the adults, and the more extreme or complex material merrily sailed over their heads. As the New York Times noted, ‘you’re left only to shake your head and marvel.’
Awards: Awards have included the 2008 Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performance (‘Don’t Explain’), a 2008 ARIA award nomination for Best Comedy Release, the 2007 Logie Award for Best Children’s, the 2007 Emmy for Best Title Design (The Upside Down Show), a 2006 AFI nomination for Best Children’s Show, the 2003 Grand Prix at the Singapore Comedy Festival and an MO Award Winner for Best Comedy Performer.Jonar was recently a non-executive director for a leading education institution, and advises many chairmen and CEOs at board-level. He is also an executive coach and assists some of Australia’s top executives when they need some technical, professional, market, or management advice.
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Brilliantly choreographed, faultlessly executed physical comedy.
Wildly funny, wildly creative... they truly seem to be psychic twins, joined in an irresistible conspiracy to commit comedy... inspired anarchy... silly behaviour of the highest calibre... you're left only to shake your head and marvel.
Twisted and absolutely hilarious... a hell of a good time.
Fast, inventive, cheerfully crude and wittily self aware, 'Thwak' might be classified as performance art, but we call it pure theatre and pure fun.
The Umbilical Brothers' 'Thwak' is hard to describe but easy to love... high points include the abuse of latecomers and a puppet show involving a bunny and a mallet. Even if you think you hate mimes, you won't hate 'Thwak'.
My faith in comedy was restored. If you thought Lee Evans was the last word in physical humour, Collins and Dundas raise the stakes a hundredfold.
Over the course of 90 insanely inventive minutes, they both exceed and subvert our expectations of what two wiry men can do with a bare stage and a microphone.
