For one night only, the internationally acclaimed master of lo-fi, off-beat, music-infused storytelling, Stuart Bowden arrives at Schkapf with his latest invention. The story of a creature, the last of an undiscovered species, facing extinction.
"Funny, endearing, sad and absurd this show is utterly compelling from start to finish." - Broadway Baby
"If you are looking for an experience to just make you smile I urge you to go and see this phenomenal one man wonder show. Performer and writer, Stuart Bowden, is an absolute genius, he has created a piece that can both crush and lift you in the blink of an eye." - Edinburgh Guide
Bowden's unique style of DIY theatre blends "live music, bizarre storytelling and perfect physical comedy" (Edinburgh Guide) with "a vulnerability that is not often seen in comedy" (Broadway Baby). BEFORE US is billed as a "contemporary casio keyboard operetta."
Bowden first won hearts with his off-beat, touchingly beautiful productions "The Beast", "The World Holds Everyone Apart", "Apart From Us", and his hilarious collaborations "Dr Brown and His Singing Tiger" and "The Lounge Room Confabulators". He has received a host of awards including the Underbelly award, as well as nominations for Best Independent Theatre Writing and Best Independent Theatre Performer (Melbourne Green Room Awards). Bowden's most recent show "She Was Probably Not A Robot" was the five star hit of last year's Edinburgh Fringe and has since played to sold out audiences in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.
Following in the tradition of She Was Probably Not A Robot, the show features "gorgeous notes of melancholia" (The Scotsman) that audiences know and love from Stuart Bowden.
★★★★★
"Many have claimed that their shows will make you laugh, cry and ultimately change your life. ‘Before Us’ delivers. It has everything, as promised. Prepare to die happy." - Edinburgh Spotlight
★★★★★
"Bizarre antics and razor-sharp wit. Bowden creates delicate little songs by electronically looping keyboards, ukulele and vocals that tug insistently at the heartstrings. It will make you consider the brevity of existence, how life is fragile, that death is inevitable but, ultimately, that this is okay." - A Younger Theatre
"Weirdly magical" - The Scotsman
★★★★
"He stumbles on stage dressed in what appears to be a lime green sleeping bag. Welcome to the insane and wonderful world ofBefore Us. A thoroughly brilliant piece of humorous theatre delivered by an equally magnificent actor." - TV Bomb
★★★★★
"Before Us is theatre and storytelling that is in a league on its own. Truly magical." - The New Current
★★★★
"Before Us is a bizarre, surreal show… The overlaying of simple tunes that he plays and hums create impressive and complex sounds." - Broadway Baby
★★★★
"Stuart Bowden is a curious man. His mix of deadpan delivery, charming lo-fi songs and bizarre stage antics help create a magical world that he invites us all to inhabit. Surreal and heart-warming." - Three Weeks