DR BROWN – BEFRDFGTH
Picture Andy Kaufman as a clown. Wouldn’t that be all kinds of comic goodness? Well, Tamarama Rocksurfers and Slow Clap Productions are bringing that to the stage in the form of the cult comedian, Dr Brown.
I caught up with Tamarama Rocksurfers’ Associate Artistic Director, Phil Spencer, who is a longtime Dr Brown fan. And he’s not the only Dr Brown enthusiast. The American-born comedian has nabbed the Foster’s Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Best Show Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Audiences will be treated to an hour full of sketches, mimes and funny dances all performed in silence. “He is out there but what’s so wonderful is it’s familiar territory for an audience,” Spencer explains. “There’s something about watching him go through the spectrum of funny to vulnerable to menacing to stupid to philosophical without saying a word that makes it so good.”
Punters can also expect audience participation and in the Old Fitzroy’s 60-seat theatre there’s a good chance you’ll get up close and personal with the bearded, quirky funnyman.
“It’s amazing how accommodating we can be as an audience,” Spencer continues. “More often than not people end up going above and beyond the call of duty and really get in to it. If he picks you and gets you involved, I guarantee it will be one of the most hilarious nights of your life.” When asked if he has any advice for people who shy away from audience participation, Spencer laughs and says, “sit at the back.”
Oct 19-20, The Old Fitzroy Theatre, 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo, $20, 1300 241 167, rocksurfers.org
