Dr Brown at the 2011 Adelaide Fringe

Dr Brown Because 4 Star Review in The List

Dr Brown Because

• Source: The List (Issue 665)
• Date: 15 August 2010
• Written by: Jonny Ensall

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Physical comedy for willing idiots

Watching Dr Brown provides a good opportunity to test the theory that taste moves in circles. Or more specifically that something can become so stupid it will eventually plop back into the realm of bizarre genius. It’s a difficult call to make, but this one-man sketch showcase of budget slapstick and sick humour just about crosses the line back from offensively bad into oddly brilliant.

The Dr – a character creation of US comedian and Fringe second-timer, Philip Burgers – has the face of a stoned tourist and the demeanour of an idiot, obscuring the fact that his physical comedy is timed to perfection and full of original ideas. Mute to begin with, Burgers peels bananas on stage like a contemplative character in an absurdist drama, before proceeding to chuck them about like a baboon in a zoo. Every moment that follows serves to undercut the relative seriousness of the last, as the show descends, in an entropic spiral, to the very centre of pointlessness.

Eventually Burgers starts to offer directions to the audience to help them to understand what they're seeing (‘Invisible puppets’; ‘Oh, hello Santa Claus’). Many spectators find themselves intimately involved as he takes the sad clown act too far, moving from sympathetic little tramp to creepy nightclub groper. The final moments aren’t suitable to describe in print, but they push the evening’s sexual confusion to its sick peak.

In isolation, Burgers’ puerile jokes wouldn’t be funny, but it’s the route he takes to reach them – the sideways thought processes evidently at work, and the audience’s complicity in twisting the normal boundaries of appropriateness – that make this show laugh-out-loud hilarious. The fact that you can’t tell whether it’s the product of lengthy, sober planning, or just the real-time brain-drivel of a weirdo who’s struck gold, makes it all the more compelling.

The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 11.10pm, £7–£8 (£6–£7).

Dr Brown Because 5 Star Review in FringeReview

Fringe Review

Edinburgh Fringe 2010

 

Dr Brown Because 

Genre: Physical Theatre

    

Venue: Just the Tonic at the Caves

Low Down

Dr Brown Because, is a celebration of the absurd. It’s a skilful demonstration of the ability for humans to communicate clearly with very little dialogue. A one man show  that hangs on the twitches, stares and physical stamina of its protagonist and the sweat of a fearful audience.

Review

Dr Brown Because, is a celebration of the absurd. It’s a skilful demonstration of the ability for humans to communicate clearly with very little dialogue. A one man show  that hangs on the twitches, stares and physical stamina of its protagonist and the sweat of a fearful audience.

Dr Brown presents a series of scenarios that this late night audience immediately respond to. Entering the stage on a series of staccato light cues, he first amuses with statuesque poses then retreats to the rear of the auditorium to make his entrance, between the audience, rolling down the aisle on a chair. Eating a banana, he checks out his audience stopping regularly to see whose there. His eyes a world of wonder- searching for sympathy maybe, we are unsure what our relationship will be with this clown. He takes no time to show us the rules. He is not here to entertain us, we are here to entertain him. We are his toys!

For the first 30 minutes, Dr Brown, doesn’t say a single word, yet manages to order us about with subtle nuances in his face and gesticulations. He has no inhibitions whatsoever and adores intrusion into personal space.  The audience love it, they are bright eyed with fear that they will be selected to partner him, yet delighted and relieved when his picks someone else.  With a series of intelligent slap stick, precision timing and intuitive understanding of human body language, he holds our attention 100%, you daren’t take your eyes of him. His mime of a puppet show is downright filthy, and immensely clever. He manages to collectively eke out the deviant thoughts in the audiences smutty minds, reprimanding us and encouraging us to continue at the same time. The show develops to new heights of hilarity when he does eventually speak. A little hesitant voice, and he liberally seasons his short outbursts of spoken word with, moans and groans of delight.

 He involves the audience at every opportunity and this makes for great white knuckle ride theatre. This performer is challenging himself as well as us. His pornographic antics are truly revealing. Any of these scenes could go horribly wrong and they alter depending on the nature of the audience, which provides unpredictable and thought provoking theatre.  He has no compunction about retracing his steps to reiterate a point and this is a skill in itself. His bizarre quiz show that culminates in the relentless singing of happy birthday is still making me laugh as I write this nearly 24 hours later. This show is sublime. He maintains his character with such intensity, this included his inventive audio and lighting cues, which he triggered with the same mannerisms that he controlled the audience with. The guffawing and snorting laughter in the room was uncontrollable, assisting the genuine comic display, slick timing and audacity. This man, the American Philip Burgers, is a master clown but I wouldn’t dare say that to his face.

Reviewed by Althea Stentiford 12th August 2010

Website :

www.myspace.com/drbrownbrown

7-28 August

23.10pm

55mins

Dr Brown Because 4 Star Review in Straight Fringe

Dr Brown Because ****

August 06, 2010

I’m a big anti-comedy fan but have never witnessed silent anti-comedy before. For the first half of “Dr Brown Because” not a single word is uttered yet it still manages to contain some of best jokes I’ve witnessed in a strong minute. The last 15 minute routine looses its edge and is a very disappointing finale but for the most part this is experimental anti-comedy at its most enjoyable.

Unfortunately it’s hard to say anything about this show without ruining it. To use a lazy cliché - Dr Brown is very much like Mr Bean on acid. Or to be more accurate - he’s like a homosexual Mr Bean who has been taking acid for several years but has recently quit and then had a mental breakdown. Mostly awkwardness, nonsense and a few what-the-fuck-moments are all that hold it together. Expect a fair amount of audience interaction too, which is occasionally great but overall the weaker part of the act (don’t sit down the front). It is however refreshing to feel a real sense of danger that if he picks on the wrong person in the crowd that they’ll definitely punch him in the face, however on this night most of the audience were on his side.

On one level it’s completely understandable to have the opinion that this show is complete shite and maybe in a different mindset I would have hated it. Yet (so far) nothing has made me laugh out loud more and I’m pretty sure I’ll never, ever forget it.  Comedy shows like this need to exists to remind us how tedious the mainstream can become. It’s punk rock, anarchic and made me wonder what it would have been like to been a punter at the Fringe in the 80’s before all dem bloody evil corporations and middle-class fuckwits started turning up in abundance. For that reason alone it’s worth checking out – even if you end up absolutely hating it. Oh… and one more time - don’t sit down the front.

Rating: 4/5

Dr Brown Behaves write-up in RipItUp

Dr Brown Behaves
Tuxedo Cat, Sat Feb 20

Heard the one about the amazing show that comes each year to the Fringe, an artist no one has heard about before and who proceeds to blow audiences out of the water? This show is it. A largely wordless act of absurdist mime and downright uncomfortable weirdness that may or may not include handcuffs, olives, board games, dancing, sunscreen and a transvestite, this show goes strange places and then turns left and goes even stranger. Criminally, there were only nine people in the audience, but that will have to change. US/UK comic artist Philip Burgers AKA Dr Brown will do odd things to you, make you laugh, squirm and cringe in equal doses, but you won’t come away indifferent. This truly is unlike anything else on offer at the Fringe. Do not, under any circumstances, miss it.
Final Word: Speechless.
Harry Starboard

Dr Brown Behaves 4 Star Review in the Adelaide Advertiser

Adelaide Fringe review: Dr Brown Behaves

• Maria Moscaritolo 
• From:The Advertiser 
• February 22, 2010 12:40pm

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DR Brown is a deliciously awkward man who delights in long, awwwwkward pauses broken only by the suggestive twitch of an eyebrow.

His physical comedy is part precocious child, part an American Mr Bean.

What makes this show really take off is the unpredictable audience participation, where members are lured away from their comfort zone as they are subjected to awkward (of course) hugs, pelted with green olives or invited to oil him down as he prepares for a pantomime swim.

Tuxedo Cat Studio, until March 14

****