“THWAK!” is indescribably delicious

HARTFORD — Wacky, wild, wonderful, and full of energy and slapstick humor, the kooky, crazy, and indescribably delicious “THWAK!” is like a high-octane cabaret act shot through a canon, complete with out-of-this-world sound-effects.
Part “Three Stooges” part “Marx Brothers” with some Fred Astaire-meets-the Prairie Home Companion thrown in for good measure, the show, created, performed and directed by two cheeky Australians and want-to-be German/Austrians, David Collins (the one with hair as he likes to remind everyone) and Shane Dundas (the other one) is unquestionably one of a kind.
These two, who call themselves the Umbilical Brothers, probably because they have similar builds, accentuated by their identical gray pants and maroon tops, also possess similarly slightly off-kilter minds. They jump, roll, spin, move in slow motion, and take the willing audience on a wild roller-coaster ride of the imagination.
They have performed bits of their act on “Late Night with David Letterman Show” as well as the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and have that kind of in your face “stupid pet tricks” instant appeal those shows seek in their guests.
They both work so very hard to win you over and there’s really no reason not to like them.
They pay homage to the art of mime, while contemporaneously chide it’s sometimes smug self-importance, by doing the old “invisible rope,” “staircase,” and “invisible wall” mime moves, complete with a single clap and a little shimmy.
Then they take pantomime to a whole other level as tanks, grenades, exploding real invisible dogs (not to be confused with the make-believe invisible dogs), barbecues, cats, squished bugs, taxis, horses, robots, and even some moody crooning by Collins.
When Collins is singing Dundas does his darndest to disturb him with sweeping, vacuuming, and taking cell phone calls. It is funny, but it would be funnier still if Collins gets angry at Dundas, rather than just passively annoyed. It feels rehearsed and planned, rather than spontaneous and immediate — a missed opportunity.
While Dundas does most of the stunningly fine sound-effects, Collins is no slouch in the sound department either, but also adds a plethora of super-silly “zappity zoo” sounds all his own.
When they go behind the screen and put on the puppet show, it is a little pedestrian, but when they are behind that same screen and perform the rubber arm and contortionist leg bit, it is original and inspired.
The two have put on children’s productions, and use sock puppets in “THWAK!,” and cartoon character voices, such as Kermit the Frog, at times, but this show is definitely not for the little kids, because there is a good amount of profanity involved. Still, teenagers enjoyed the show as much as adults.
This pair of sunny, funny of Australians is an irresistible, original whirlwind pair of sound and fury that have to be experienced.

THWAK!
3 stars
Location: Hartford Stage Company, 50 Church Street, Hartford.
Production: Created, performed, and directed by Shane Dundas and David Collins. Original New York production directed by Philip William McKinley. Lighting designed by Josh Monroe. Show Controller Tina Oldhauser.
Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinee performances Sundays and selected Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. through August 2.
Tickets: $19 — $50. Call 860-527-5151 or visit their website at hartfordstage.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Shane Dundas and David Collins as the Umbilical Brothers