“It's amazing what a bit of talent, vision, energy and a few well-placed candles can achieve. Comedy Cupboard at the Old Bakery is packed with all of the above and just what the doctor ordered.” - Murray Lachlan Young
The Old Bakery's latest installment of the Comedy Cupboard goes down under. With Kylie as your host for the evening, there is no telling what might happen. All we do know is that the first white and Aboriginal Australian double act in history (that's right: in history... ever), Brendon Burns and Craig Quartermine will take to the stage with their show 'Race Off'. Oh, and, support for the evening will be provided by Graham Wilkes, a local comedian with 'fearless stage presence' (Comedy Avengers).
It's going to be ripper. Stick around afterwards for a true Aussie After Party.
Fri 21 July 2017
Doors open: 7pm
Show from: 8pm to 9:30pm
After party: until 11pm
Entry: 16+ (ID required)
Comedy for the night include...
Race Off - headline show
Relax. They're not here to help.
Be warned, this is not some trite ebony and ivory sing-a-long. The story of how they came to perform together is sometimes excruciating, often uncomfortable, brutally honest but always very, very funny. As the two believe: for proper cathartic, heart-felt laughs, jokes must have a sting in their tail and have to hurt a little, on some level. But in doing so, the two have made something oddly beautiful.
Fresh from their smash hit run at last year’s Fringe with Dumb White Guy, Edinburgh award winner 2007, Brendon Burns, and raw comedy finalist and NITV journalist, Craig Quartermaine bring their new and uncompromising critically acclaimed show Race Off to Edinburgh debuting their fully-formed double-act in the UK for the first time.
The world is long overdue a nuanced intelligent conversation beyond, “everything’s racist” and “racism doesn’t exist”. And who better to do so than two men that have had to traverse Australia's most toxic racial dynamic just to do a show?
Race Off is a show about personal accountability with a big heart that asks, "How can we ever combat bigotry if we never admit to it?”
In 27 years of performing all over the globe, Burns’ 2016 collaboration with Quartermaine was his best-reviewed show ever. It is clear that Quartermaine is a much needed comic voice in a pretty damn barren landscape.
Full disclosure: This really shouldn't work. Burns and Quartermaine, like some sort of real-life, live action, buddy movie, begrudgingly accept that neither man can pull this off without the other.
After all, be honest: it’s been ten years since Burns won the Edinburgh award and you’ve never heard of Quartermaine until now. Would you honestly have read this far about either man without the other? See?
Come to the show. They’re gonna rough you up a bit.
“Race Off is a once in a lifetime show that, if you miss,
you may never forgive yourself” The Australia Times
“The comic who gave the Fringe So I Suppose This Is Offensive Now, has pretty much done it again” Kate Copstick, The Scotsman on Dumb White Guy
“A show readying and honing to launch onto a resistant Australia”
Fest Magazine on Dumb White Guy
“Brendon Burns has always loved wrong-footing his audience....he does it again in this hour about race and identity”
The List
“One of the true comedy genius’ still performing”
One 4 Review
“A soliloquy of humour and righteous indignation and it’s wonderful”
Young Perspective
"[a] very rarely heard point of view, which will fuel further investigations into race.” Chortle
“Not only hilarious but eye-opening”
Ed Fest Magazine
Graham Wilkes - support act
Graham is a story teller comedian drawing inspiration from his family, friends and his own odd and awkward ways.
"Quick witted with a great, fearless stage presence. His stories never fail to strike a cord with audiences." - Comedy Avengers.
West Country based comedian Graham Wilkes has been performing regularly now for around 4 years, playing all types of gigs, from six people in a grotty back room of a pub to playing big theatres with a thousand in attendance.
He is most happy when on stage and is always up for a challenge. Grahams first ever gig was as MC in front of 700 people at Boardmasters festival, all because one of the organisers wanted him to try stand-up comedy and also wanted comedy at the festival, he rose to the challenge and was then asked back every year since to perform 15-30 min sets over the weekend.
He was shortlisted in the WOCA's in 2015 (which is Cornwall's answer to the Oscars) in the best comedian section and once again in 2017 alongside Dawn French and Jethro. He doesn't believe in comedy competitions. Instead, he prides himself on the fact that he is the only guest ever on the Carl Donnelly and Chris Martin podcast to have the episode removed due to legal reasons. That's an accolade of sorts.
Graham still provides the Intro music to that very same podcast and has provided other musical based comedy to other podcasts and comedians in the past. However, this is under his side projects name 'Pimp in Distress' and his main focus is straight forward stand up.