I had seen the Umbilical Brothers numerous times over the years, generally performing in five to ten minute comedy stints on various television programs. When I was taken to see their show, Speedmouse, at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex recently, I did have concerns about their ability to maintain audience interest over a 90 minute period.
Ticket stubbs for my collection.
The Umbies, as they are affectionately known, are two performers, Shane Dundas and David Collins, who met in the late 1980's whilst at University. They combine mime with ordinary dialogue and vocal sound effects, coupled with slapstick, mimicry, and puppetry.
Speedmouse was first performed in 2001 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the audience was advised upfront that this recent rendition was an extension of the original format.
With minimal props and little in the way of whizz-bang technology the Umbilical Brothers rely on their body language and performance to tell their stories. And boy, do these lads use their bodies - they are both so very fluid in their movements. Sadly, I'm not that fluid even after the consumption of a bottle of wine (or two).
David and Shane - Business Card
Speedmouse sees the Umbies thrown into the digital world, and the audience views the show as if the performers are on DVD. However, the remote control has "disappeared" which creates havoc on stage.
The backstory introduces another player, Roadie, who is responsible for transportation and manoeuvring all the props for the show. This gets right up Dave's nose as of course the props are almost non existent.
An evening with the Umbilical Brothers is great fun. The audience, from teenagers to baby boomers, all participated and enjoyed even the most subtle of movements.There was no intermission which was explained away as part of the theme for the night - intermission was fast forwarded.
The Umbilical Brothers have several performances booked along the east coast over coming weeks, including:
Caloundra 9 September 2016
Newcastle 16 September 2016
Port Macquarie 17 September 2016
Gold Coast 23 September 2016
Lismore 24 September 2016
Toowoomba 15 October 2016
Contact details
For further information refer
here.
And the answer is a definite yes. The audience didn't seem to fidget or get anxious because of the length of the production and having to sit for such a long period. Thanks, in part, to Roadie, I feel sure.
