Life's a bitch and then you die. At least that's what identical twins-slash-comedy duo the Lucas Bros, Keith and Kenny, who have been through a lot together, would like to share.
They grew up in Newark, NJ, the third most dangerous city in the U.S., according to Inner City Weekly (a publication that may or may not be real), raised by a single mother and Bobby Brown-loving stepfather, on welfare, all the while knowing in the back of their minds that statistically, they say, one out of three black men in the inner city are killed before the age of 34. At 33, the only way the duo say they can protect themselves is to ensure that their younger brother is the one to go.
The pair, of 22 Jump Street fame, have countless compelling stories from their childhood and beyond, all of which are evidence that, yeah, life's a bitch and then you die. Their style of comedy is totally unique — they play up the "twin thing" by pacing around stage in different directions, taking turns telling jokes, finishing each other's sentences and repeating each other's words, all of which can feel disorienting at first, but entertaining once you get used to it. Duo comedy acts can quickly become kitsch, or even annoying, but the Lucas Bros' delivery is so understated and casual, their ease is infectious.
Perhaps most noteworthy, though, is their ability to craft a narrative arc. They took JFL audience members chronologically through their life story, dropping lines that they smoothly brought back up later on in the set to create continuity. If there's one thing to take away, it's that these brothers know how to write a comedy set.
They grew up in Newark, NJ, the third most dangerous city in the U.S., according to Inner City Weekly (a publication that may or may not be real), raised by a single mother and Bobby Brown-loving stepfather, on welfare, all the while knowing in the back of their minds that statistically, they say, one out of three black men in the inner city are killed before the age of 34. At 33, the only way the duo say they can protect themselves is to ensure that their younger brother is the one to go.
The pair, of 22 Jump Street fame, have countless compelling stories from their childhood and beyond, all of which are evidence that, yeah, life's a bitch and then you die. Their style of comedy is totally unique — they play up the "twin thing" by pacing around stage in different directions, taking turns telling jokes, finishing each other's sentences and repeating each other's words, all of which can feel disorienting at first, but entertaining once you get used to it. Duo comedy acts can quickly become kitsch, or even annoying, but the Lucas Bros' delivery is so understated and casual, their ease is infectious.
Perhaps most noteworthy, though, is their ability to craft a narrative arc. They took JFL audience members chronologically through their life story, dropping lines that they smoothly brought back up later on in the set to create continuity. If there's one thing to take away, it's that these brothers know how to write a comedy set.
