The Umbilical Brothers Are Touring America in 2026

The Umbilical Brothers are bringing their newest show, The Distraction, to seven US cities. The run goes from September 19 to October 4, 2026 and if you grew up in Australia, you’ve almost certainly seen them. If you didn’t, keep reading, because you actually probably did.

Wait, do I know these two?

David Collins and Shane Dundas have been making people laugh for more than three decades. They do it mostly without props, sets, or in many cases actual words. Their thing is physical comedy fused with vocal sound effects. They’re extraordinarily good at it.

Here’s the part that catches Australians in America by surprise. They made The Upside Down Show, which aired on Noggin over here in the mid-2000s. A whole generation of American kids grew up with it. By the Umbilical Brothers’ own count, roughly 1.5 million people have yelled “GET OOOUT” at them.

So this isn’t the usual deal, where you drag an American friend to an Australian thing and spend the night explaining it. There’s a fair chance your partner, your housemate, or the colleague you invite already has their own memory of these two, from a completely different direction.

The credentials, briefly

They’ve performed in 40 countries. Entertainment Weekly named them among the 100 most creative people in entertainment. They’ve done The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and supported Robin Williams in stadiums. They’ve played the Sydney Opera House, gone on after James Brown at Woodstock ’99, and performed for the Queen.

The awards shelf holds two BAFTAs, an Emmy, a Logie, and a Helpmann for Comedy Performers of the Year. There’s an Edinburgh Critics’ Choice Award on there too. They won the Australian entertainment industry’s MO Award for Best Comedy Group five years running.

The reviews are the fun part. The Sydney Morning Herald once described them as “Marcel Marceau on really good drugs”. The Times in London went with “My faith in comedy was restored”. The New York Times has called them “wildly funny, wildly creative”.

The US tour dates

The Distraction is their newest creation, and these are the American dates.

Date	City	Venue
Saturday, September 19	Chicago	Studebaker Theatre
Monday, September 21	Maine	Johnson Hall Opera House
Wednesday, September 23	Maine	Sanford Performing Arts Center
Friday, September 25	San Francisco	Great Star Theatre
Saturday, September 26	San Francisco	Great Star Theatre
Wednesday, September 30	Houston	MATCH
Thursday, October 1	Houston	MATCH
Friday, October 2	Phoenix	Herberger Theater Center
Sunday, October 4	Dallas	Texas Theatre

Most shows start at 7:00pm. The Johnson Hall date starts at 7:30pm. Check your venue for exact times, since these can shift.

Tickets for every date are on the Umbilical Brothers tour page, which links straight through to each venue’s box office.

It’s worth noting how small this run is: Nine shows across seven cities, and both the San Francisco and Houston dates are two-night stands rather than extra cities. If you’re not near one of these, the tour heads to the UK and Europe afterward. They’ve also said more dates are coming.

Should you take the kids?

Their work genuinely does cross generations, and their television history means plenty of families turn up. But the Umbilical Brothers currently tour six different shows, one of which is called Not Suitable For Children. The rating varies depending on which one you’re seeing.

I’d check the age guidance with your specific venue before booking for younger kids. The box office will tell you straight away.

Why this one’s worth the effort

There’s a particular pleasure in watching Australians be brilliant at something in front of an American audience. These two have spent thirty years touring the world with essentially no props, building entire worlds out of noises and body language. They’ve been very good at it for a very long time.

If you’re in Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, or Maine, this is a genuinely good night out. Grab someone who’s never seen them. Or grab someone who watched The Upside Down Show and hasn’t thought about it in fifteen years.

Either way, you’ll both have a story afterward.

Tour dates and times are subject to change. Always confirm details with the venue before booking travel.