Press
Our Molecules
★★★★ “A hilariously surreal hour of solo storytelling… It's a true joy to join Stuart Bowden on this weird yet wonderful journey through the cosmos” The List
★★★★ "Bowden is no more equipped than anyone else to deal with the problems of the world, but by dressing as an alien and telling a nonsensical story for an hour, he does manage to temporarily make it a little nicer" The Skinny
★★★★ “a beautiful dance between the profound and the trivial” Broadway Baby
★★★★ and 1/2 '“We left the theatre feeling joyful, and hopeful for the future… His songs, built in front of his enraptured audience, become hauntingly, achingly beautiful through some simple, layered instrumental and vocal work.” Gutter Culture
“an oddly charming show that will find its way into your heart and mind” My Melbourne Arts
Wilting in Reverse
★★★★★ "A unique hour of shifting genres and stories from a master theatremaker... a piece of eccentric, comic storytelling on the surface, a serious piece of theatremaking underneath" The Stage
★★★★★ "Threading belly laughs and a deeply incisive intelligence onto a central emotional thread that celebrates our uniqueness as individuals in order to bring us closer to both each other and ourselves" Theatre Full Stop
★★★★★ "A courageous and lyrical hour of joy" Three Weeks
★★★★★ "This is meta-theatre at its greatest and an absolute must see show. Stuart Bowden is certainly one to watch for in the future" Broadway Baby
"It hit that place between your heart and your lungs and created that bubble of feeling that makes you want to smile and cry at the same time" Voices of Wonder
★★★★ "Funny, tragic, yet entertaining throughout" To Do List
★★★★ "a story of love lost, and of the power of storytelling – and Bowden is at the top of his game" The Public Reviews
Before Us
"Searingly entertaining" The Times
"His performance shines with complexity" - Kill Your Darlings
★★★★ and a 1\2 "Bold in its vulnerability, ingenious in its creative tilts and masterful in its storytelling, the show makes the heart creep with loving shyness right out of the chest. It is also very funny. Bowden's style of physical humour and wordplay is truly a breed unto itself" - The West Australian
★★★★★ "Stuart Bowden is an isolated fringe species who defies theatrical logic and description. Many fringe acts promise something different but Bowden delivers, and the result is a wonderful hour of whimsy that will touch your eye and your heart."- The Adelaide Advertiser
★★★★ “In a tale that makes the audience confront death, loneliness, isolation and failed connection the humour here is a tender, wistful, perfectly bittersweet kind” Arts Hub
★★★★ and a 1\2 "Surrender to Stuart Bowden’s spell of weirdness. You will laugh. You may even cry. But you will leave feeling better about life. This play is just a joy." The Clothesline
★★★★★ "Comedy morphs into pathos and sad contemplation, and then instantly returns to hilarity" - Adelaide Theatre Guide
'A superb piece of writing while seeming to tumble out without forethought or consequence... This is a form of theatre as sui generis as the novel-form Laurence Sterne invented with Tristram Shandy – and a show not just to be seen but experienced.' Daily Review
"I would see this play a hundred times over and laugh more each time, it is hilarious, it has heart, and it will leave you reflecting on what your life truly means to yourself, and to the people around you" - Cargo Arts Magazine
★★★★★ "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
★★★★★ "There is always one show each festival that takes your breath away. This is it: an experience so bizarre, hilarious and melancholy that it will not only engage but elevate you" - The Public Reviews
★★★★ 'An impeccable performance, endearing in his total weirdness.' - Everything Theatre
'I have died & been reborn in a single show...dying from fits of laughter.' - A Younger Theatre
'Harnessing his immense imagination into his latest show, he makes some strikingly detailed choices.' - The Times
'Homespun, uneven and often confusing, but also at times weirdly magical' The Scotsman
'A strange but beautiful way to spend a theatrical hour.' - British Theatre Guide
★★★★ 'Before Us is a joyfully irreverent look at the big themes that impact on all of us.' - views from the gods
★★★★ "He stumbles on stage dressed in what appears to be a lime green sleeping bag. Welcome to the insane and wonderful world of Before 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 piece of funny, moving and highly textured theatre, and is easily one of the most original, strange and quirky shows that you are likely to see" - The Fix Magazine
"Utterly unique and at times hilariously funny... Real sadness and poignancy is mixed with hilarity" - Bristol 24/7
★★★★ "Before Us is a bizarre, surreal show… The overlaying of simple tunes that he plays and hums create impressive and complex sounds." - Broadway Baby
★★★★ "This is a refreshing and original hour of storytelling that will leave you uplifted and invigorated" - The Student Newspaper
★★★★ "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
She Was Probably Not A Robot
★★★★★ "he creates a hilarious, bittersweet and completely enthralling world" - Three Weeks
★★★★★ "utterly compelling from the start to finish" - Broadway Baby
★★★★★ "Phenomenal one man wonder show... Stuart Bowden is an absolute genius... With live music, bizarre storytelling and perfect physical comedy, She Was Probably Not A Robot will leave you with a skip in your step and a smile on your heart" - Edinburgh Guide
★★★★★ "Delightfully quirky, lo-fi weirdness from a truly gifted performer." Adelaide Theatre Guide
★★★★ "gorgeous notes of melancholia" - The Scotsman
"a subliminal masterpiece" - The Stage
★★★★ and 1/2 "Bowden is a talented theatre maker. His piece is punchy, he boasts some seriously decent vocal chords, does great things with looping vocals, and he manages to tell a completely absurd tale in a compelling manner." - Arts Hub
★★★★ "Deliciously bleak humour... laugh out loud funny and heartbreakingly poignant" - Exeunt
"A combination of live music, poignant storytelling and physical comedy, She Was Probably Not A Robot is heartbreaking, thought-provoking and laugh out loud funny." - Perth Now
"Minimal, rough, surreal and hilarious. There’s also a darkness to the content that keeps sentimentality at bay." - Crikey
★★★★ "Side-splittingly funny, heart-wrenching and utterly absurd this is a beautiful piece of theatre from one of Tuxedo Cat’s finest. Stunning." - Adelaide Advertiser
"Bowden has a firm grasp on how to create an understated image using the simplest means. Using nothing more than a few boxes, some instruments and a loop pedal, he takes the audience to the end of the universe in the profoundest of simple ways." - The Reviews Hub
"Stuart is an incredibly expressive performer, able to draw laughs from the audience with a simple look, a gesture, a word spoken or a silent moment. He is a joy to watch" - Gather and Hunt
★★★★ "He hits just the right balance of funny and sad, knowing exactly when to pull back on the wistfulness and punctuate it with something grotesque or absurd. Bowden has crafted a superb storytelling show and while it has a fringe vibe it’s deserving of a much wider audience." - SBS Comedy
"In this darkly hilarious and utterly charming show, Bowden has crafted an absolute winner" - Squirrel Comedy
★★★★ and a 1/2
"with its ridiculous humour, highly original plot and artfully-questionable use of props and blocking, this laugh-out-loud production is not one audiences are likely to forget" - Adelaide Theatre Guide
★★★★ and a 1/2 "Stuart Bowden is a smart guy. He has created a very funny and whimsical show about something that’s actually quite serious. Excellent!" - Rip It Up Magazine
"This fantastic show is hugely entertaining and touchingly funny... a remarkable, handmade odyssey... Outstanding show" - Fringe Review
"a heartwarming, melancholic and hilarious work of lo-fi storytelling" - The Music
★★★★ "A sight to behold" - The Clothesline
★★★★ "An off-beat, absurdist, endearingly funny one-man show" Kryztoff
★★★★ "fantastical, ludicrous, funny and heartfelt." Indaily
The Beast
★★★★ "A story that'll work its way into your soul. Bowden commands a spellbound crowd. Quietly beautiful, a gift" - The List
"An enchanting and very different slice of storytelling" - The Stage
★★★★ "laugh out loud humour, sparks of surreal brilliance and moments of touching melancholy. Unfolding like a dream, this is an off beat gem" - Three Weeks
"effortlessly strong performer... He has us enraptured" - Fest
"an hour of innocent, heartfelt fun with some truly inventive musical interludes... displaying a perfect gift for pathos" - Scotsman
★★★★ "Touching in simplicity. This little gem of escapism leaves you feeling a little bit sad but very much alive." - The Adelaide Advertiser
★★★★ "Unique and charming" - The Adelaide Theatre Guide, AUS
"Bowden confirms my opinion he is one of the most prepossessing and honest storytellers we have the pleasure of seeing once a year" - No Plain Jane
The World Holds Everyone Apart, Apart From Us
"Bowden completely understands the power of the shared space of theatre... Bowden’s language is so visual as it plays through alliteration, through metaphors; he paints a world simple in its design, easy to understand, and yet adorned with the beauty of language." - No Plain Jane (Jane Howard)
★★★★
"Narrative ingenuity and boundless charm as a performer… casts a heady spell and for an entire hour, Bowden holds everyone together in silent reverie" - Metro
★★★★
"This is an utterly charming one-man show, but it is not just an exercise in theatrical whimsy, it is thoughtful and thought-provoking… a glowing endorsement for DIY theatre-making…Bowden will be one to watch as his fusion of live music-making and storytelling is joyous and full of sparkle" - Fringe Review
★★★★★
"Stuart Bowden creates a show of such beauty it will take your breath away… full of wit and charm, this is low-fi DIY storytelling theatre at it’s very best" - Three Weeks
★★★★ - What’s On Stage
"Bowden knits form to content beautifully... it’s his writing, pristine and fragile, that really deserves plaudits. As his tale gains matter, his text finds a purity, particularly where love is concerned. A couple of lines, too perfect to spoil, could stop hearts in themselves." - Culture Wars (Matt Trueman)
★★★★★
"I assure this is one of the most heart-wrenching things I’ve seen in years. The songs are so beautiful and euphorically ethereal, they had me welling up." - Three Weeks
★★★★★
"Bowden further showcases his undeniable ability as a master storyteller and performer who can turn his stories into the most magical ride you could ever take an audience on." - The New Current
The Lounge Room Confabulators
‘the narrative ingenuity behind this performance — infinitely clever, insidious and beguiling — is a rare treat.’
- The Age, AUS
★★★★
‘Awesomely talented’
- The Herald Sun, AUS
★★★★
'Magical'
- The List, UK
★★★★
'Masters of their craft'
- Metro, UK
★★★★
'They are by turns funny, touching, macabre and ridiculous'
- The Arts Desk, UK
Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and His Singing Tiger
★★★★★
- Fest, UK
★★★★★
- The List, UK
★★★★★
'a relentless hour of fun and daftness that doesn't have a dull millisecond in it, with frequent flashes of genius. I think this is an absolute treasure. My opinion, of course, but the bewitched expressions of the rest of the audience seem to indicate that they agree'
- The Skinny, UK
★★★★
- Three Weeks, UK
★★★★
- Chortle, UK
★★★★
- The Herald Sun, AUS