With no doubt they are one of international sensations in the last years. From native Australia Umbilical brothers duo perform worldwide and their performances are high successful everywhere. This weekend, November 26th, they will perform again in Slovenia. At this occasion we have spoken with Shane Dundas.
You perform under the name of brothers. Does anyone else still today believe you are brothers?
We still get asked “Are you guys actually brothers?”. My standard answer is “Not as far as we know, but the DNA test results haven’t come back from the lab yet.”
If I’m not mistaken, you will perform in Slovenia for the third time? In which country have you performed the most times?
Oh man I think we’ve been to Slovenia at least 5 times! We love coming back to the SiTi Theatre. Lovely people, nice crowd. Apart from Australia, I feel like we’ve performed most in the USA and the Netherlands. And maybe Sweden. It’s been a long time and about 40 countries so I can’t keep track.
They publish superlatives about you. You’re probably happy about it, but anyway. Are such superlatives for an artist, specifically speaking about you, also dangerous? Can one quickly fall asleep on one’s laurels because of them? Do they block the desire and need for new challenges?
Who doesn’t like a superlative? There have been some nice reviews over the years. And some not so nice. It’s all opinion and taste isn’t it. The true test is on the night, with the audience. That is the challenge, every night. I guess we could coast on the praise but people have appreciated it when we’ve surprised them. If your head is in the right place the good reviews encourage you to keep going, rather than fall asleep at the wheel. And a restless brain never stops jumping around in your head, for better or worse.
The performance The Distraction is also described in superlatives. If I ask you an ungrateful question: How satisfied are you two with The Distraction? Is it on stage and on the screen what you envisioned in the idea?
I don’t think any of us is totally satisfied with the show, and in fact that’s an impossibility. We’re different people with different perspectives and we like different things in it. The overall concept (a live green-screen performance, where the audience has 2 places of focus to choose from) is what we envisioned. But inside that is the craziest mashup of ideas. It’s grown through a lot of playing around, to the point where it’s not a thing we could have imagined.
Similar as all things, humor changes too. How do you two see it? Is it hard to be a comedian these days?
I think most comedians would agree there are challenges in terms of cancel culture, if that’s what you’re referring to. It doesn’t tend to happen with us but there are artists who intentionally cross lines and break taboos. It’s part of their art and they’re usually making a point. And then there are performers who are ready and waiting to shock, and watchers ready and waiting to cancel. In an ideal world intelligence and common sense on both sides would help defuse that battle. Humor changes but people will always need to laugh. We all need it, especially now. It’s a public service.
You have several imitators. What do you think about them?
Give me their names and addresses! Generally we’re not aware of imitators. They say it’s the sincerest form of flattery, and I like the idea that what we’ve done could inspire someone to create stuff. Direct copying isn’t so hot. Inspiration and imitation is often part of a young comedian’s journey to their own unique comedic voice. You need to grow beyond that to become you. And it’s more fun, trust me. Ultimately, if you can’t come up with your own shit then what’s the point? Who are you?
What about the competition?
There’s competition? Jesus. We don’t think about that notion, maybe because we’re unique in our own country and don’t need to. If you mean other comics who do physical stuff, that’s great. It’s just more fun stuff for the world to enjoy. Also, we’re not at the top of the comedy tree so it’s not like we’re fighting to stay up there.
Many, if not most, artists are perfectionists. How about you two?
I think we’re both perfectionists in different ways, in terms of what ideas or aspects of performance are important to us. It’s a really good mix. I have become less concerned about perfection these days, and more into going with the flow, no matter how perfect or imperfect the detail is. That’s partly because something often goes wrong technically during the show, and we’ve just gotta go with it. Otherwise you go insane.
There are different things, techniques and more in your repertoire. You probably also have some secrets about how you invented and developed something?
No special techniques, at least not consciously! It’s basically about imagining funny stuff that tickles your brain and playing around with it. Riffing on ideas isn’t a special technique. The actual challenge is arranging all the silly stuff into something that flows for an audience, for the duration of the show. I think we may be less professional than you imagine. For example, some people think we’re serious, well-trained mimes. We did about 2 weeks of mime training in theatre school.
Do things get patented in your business?
I don’t know, if you wrote a script you could copyright it, but it’s hard to patent things that aren’t described in words. And would it stop people from copying it in some far-off land where they don’t know the original stuff? We did a TV gig in China, and some of the other acts were clearly copying people we knew of.
I guess patents are not always an easy thing to do in a business like yours. I just remembered of the case of the actor Alfonso Ribeiro, who initiated legal proceedings for copying and unauthorized use of the so-called Carlton dance from the series The Prince of Bel Air. He claimed it was his invention and patent and property. As far as I remember, he lost the case in court. What’s your experience with special effects and things like that?
That’s crazy. And funny, just thinking of the courtroom scene. I don’t think this show has been imitated yet, but it probably will be. The only difference here is that Doug Bayne, our amazing and eccentric co-creator on the show, has invented a lot of the mad visual effects stuff you’ll see. Good luck reproducing that. Jesus, your questions about imitators, competition, and now patenting…is there something you need to tell me?
Many singers and actors who perform and work around the world have told me in interviews that the most tiring part of their work is traveling. What about you two?
True that. Especially coming from Australia. We’re far from everywhere. I love the places we get to, but getting there.… It took over a day to go from my front door to our first location on the tour. And from gig to gig we’re carrying so much equipment for this show. By the end of this tour we’re either going to be super-fit, or dead. Or both.
Most people know you as UB. How is with your acting? Is there any time for that? With all your performances as UB, do you have the time and desire for a film or theater project?
We do find time to do other stuff, and there is a desire for it. It’s possible to make gaps in our Umbilical schedule for other projects. I’ve acted outside of our duo and done solo stand-up. David’s a talented actor who’s wanted to act from day one. Last year he worked on a big film that you’ll all see next year. I mean big! I can’t wait to see what he does onscreen. With any luck I’ll also appear in it for about 10 seconds.
You are actors, a performers,… Are you tempted or have you ever been tempted by some other film or theater field? For example, write a script? Bring director? Production?
Definitely. Years ago we were heavily involved in the creation of a childrens’ TV series we made with Sesame Workshop, from concept through to writing and acting. We even had input on editing. That was hard work but fun. So it’s not a new idea. David’s very driven and is always trying to create or be part of a creative thing, wherever the opportunity arises. I actually wanted to be a film director when I was a kid. That sensibility has informed my perception and approach to our work. I’ve only recently thought about bringing my experience to directing and creative and work with new and different people. I’d like to try that.
I already mentioned that you will perform in Slovenia for the third time. Have you met any Slovenian colleagues so far?
We’ve met some very cool people at the SITI after the shows. We always catch up with Uroš, the artistic director, and some of the other groovy kids who drop in, and it’s always a pleasure. It’s an honor to have other artists check out our work.
They mark you as a unique phenomenon. Because of this and the fame, what is your private life like? Do you have it? Is it hard to have?
We’re not that special. Private life isn’t hard at all. At one point we would get recognized or stopped quite a lot, but that’s died down. I live away from the action, a very normal life. David’s in Sydney so he gets a little more attention, but again, it’s fine. People don’t hassle us, or even care much these days. That’s one of the perks of getting older.
Photo: personal archive