Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

The Umbilical Brothers: The Distraction

 
Victor Black Review by Victor Black 5 Published: 8 Aug 2023 Assembly Roxy Show Dates: 2 Aug 2023-28 Aug 2023

The Umbilical Brothers (Shane and David Umbilical) are two multi-award-winning Australian actor-comics who have created a genuinely fresh and modern style of comedy show, combining their writing and performance talents with modern technology that presents limitless potential for creative design. They exploit every possible angle from the concept and push their ideas to the max, and it makes for an unmissable and unforgettable comedy experience.

I've seen 37 shows in three days and when people ask for a recommendation - this is it

The stage is set with intriguing green screens and cameras, with a large screen displaying videos and livestreams at the back. You’ll want to get there nice and early, because as the audience arrives, the screen is displaying some truly hysterical one liners and sound bites to welcome you in. For minutes, this was consistently roll-on-floor-funny and, if eligible, deserves to sweep all ten places for Funniest Joke on the Fringe. What a way to start a show!

The unique (probably - this is the Fringe, after all) premise involves the two stars performing a range of highly creative scenes, transporting themselves onto the streets of Edinburgh, outer space, and everywhere in between. Not only do the Umblilicals invent novel settings, but the mind-blowing special effects in the videos are – quite literally – to die for; expect to see explosions, phenomenal use of props, epic inclusions of audience members in the videos – it's truly a roller-coaster of inventiveness and everything (minus a couple of well-covered techinical hiccups which can be forgiven at the start of the festival) is seemless and played for maximum effect.

While the screen is your main focus, you'll want to keep the stage in your peripherals to truly marvel at how the cinematic results are manifested from seemingly mundane activities a few feet below. Like many shows on the Fringe, Shane and David have come up with a great idea. What sets them apart from the compeition is the depths to which they have pillaged it, sparing no expense, nor a creative thought, to truly push the boundaries of what their idea can create. You won't find anything like this on the Fringe, and the high expectations created from the outset never dip for a moment. I've seen 37 shows in three days and when people ask for a recommendation - this is it.

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

Winner – Best Comedy at Adelaide Fringe. Do you love staring at screens? Are you staring at a screen right now? You should get out more. Specifically to a show that has an enormous screen smack-bang in the middle of it. The Umbilicals take the energy of live performance and the spectacle of cinema and smash them together into a show performed simultaneously on stage and on the big screen. It's like nothing you've ever seen, and will blow your mind way more literally than you are expecting.