umbilical brothers in te 90'

1988

Sydney Australia. David and Shane meet in first year of acting school, where they are taught the foundations of modern performance: Lack of Confidence, Abject Poverty, and the power to break a man's nose with a single kick.

The following three years result in Shakespeare, Chekhov, a broken nose and their unique fusion of juvenile insanity with comic and theatrical tradition. One day, deciding that the mime classes aren't loud enough, they create their very first Umbilical routine, a charming piece borne of youth and theatrical innocence that climaxes in the end of the world.
1990

During their graduation year Shane & Dave start appearing at comedy venues, with a view to " supplementing their acting careers".

While attending a theatre training festival in the U.S.A., they try their unconventional routine out on a host of international theatre students. The result - laughter. Encouraged by the multicultural response, they decide to give their act a name: 'Schwartz & Eggar'. Five minutes later they rename themselves 'The Umbilical Brothers'.

The Umbi Bros. enter a major Sydney stand-up comedy competition, winning the coveted first prize: a single ticket to LA.
1991

On a whim, the Brothers appear on Australia's 'Star Search' and capture the grand prize. This leads to other unrehearsed and hastily prepared TV appearances.

David & Shane create and perform TWO COATS AND A HATSTAND FROM HELL, The Umbilical Brothers' first " professional" theatre experience.
1991-1993

The Umbies embark on a series of "stand-up" gigs, TV appearances and comedy tours around Australia. One of their highlights: a misguided booking at a local Bar Mitzvah, where they perform in front of a life-sized replica of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall. They start to question their theatrical agent.
1994

For their first international foray they create a proper show, imaginately titled THE UMBILICAL BROTHERS, and premiere it at Edinburgh's Fringe Festival to rave reviews and sell-out houses. They make $66(AUS) between them. This showcase leads to performances at the Hong Kong Fringe and a half-baked tour of the United Kingdom.
1995

The show goes on the road, evolving with each performance. It successfully travels to the London International Mime Festival, The Melbourne Comedy Festival and Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival.

Their next creation HEAVEN BY STORM first appears at Sydney's Kinsela's cleverly disguised as crap. They quickly polish the crap to a lustrous sheen. Later that year it opens at the Edinburgh Fringe, winning the Critics' Choice Award for comedy and a coveted Perrier nomination.
1996

HEAVEN BY STORM is a show now, and they take it to the Sydney Festival and the Melbourne Comedy Festival. It is also enjoyed by packed houses during a London season...Until the IRA leave a bomb just around the corner from the theatre. Ticket sales drop accordingly, and the Umbies just miss out on being the West End's latest explosion.

While in London the Umbilical Brothers work with Aardman Animations, who let them hold their "Oscars", if you know what we mean.

They take THE UMBILICAL BROTHERS to South Africa and Singapore.
1997

The Umbilical Brothers introduce a new generation (they were getting sick of the old one) of their self-titled show to sold-out audiences in Australia, Spain, New Zealand and Edinburgh. It is called DON’T EXPLAIN, and like all of their shows, it continues to evolve.

They shoot UMBILICAL TV, a set of short films for children's television in the UK.
1998

HEAVEN BY STORM sells out before it arrives in Singapore and at the Hong Kong International Festival. Freaky. It also makes a splashy return to Sydney at the Opera House.

The Umbilicals perform at the Köln Comedy Festival, and travel to Frankfurt to win Germany's 'United Slapstick Award'.

Back in London they create and record the character voices and sound effects for the new animated children's series MAISY.

Returning as presenters at the AFIs, the boys perform an abridged history of Australian film. George Lucas is in the audience; they force him to watch them have a lightsabre duel.
1999

The Umbilical Brothers create and perform their American Stage debut, THWAK, starting at New York's Westbeth Theatre at the beginning of the year before moving to the Minetta Lane Theatre, where they play through the end of the millennium. TV appearances during the year include the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The American Comedy Awards and Late Night with David Letterman. And yes, Letterman is a robot.

Memorable gig of the year: Woodstock '99. They kill on the East Stage, going on after James Brown (Mr Brown doesn't stay to watch their act but Wavy Gravy, a guy walking a fish, thinks it's "cool"); and they die on the West Stage, to the strains of "You suck!", and "What the fuck is this shit?!"

Capping the year, the guys are selected as two of the '100 Most Creative People in Entertainment' on Entertainment Weekly's 'IT' list. Obviously EW missed their West Stage appearance.

one photo

umbilical brothers