Aunty Donna: New ShowPerformers: Aunty Donna: Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary RuaneAt: Melbourne Town HallUntil: April 15Rating: ★★★★★

Review by WILLIAM ARNOTT

An online-based comedy troupe, Aunty Donna are a relentless force of nature, delivering barrels of laughs through their personal brand of absurdist sketch humour that is utterly Pythonesque, with a unique Melbourne twist.

The bearded trio of comics - Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane - have a massive (and growing) online following. This year, they jump out from YouTube screens and on to the stage for their aptly titled performance, New Show.

Eager fans lined up to see them perform live, milk crates adorning the heads of the die-hards (it’s an inside joke), at the sold-out event.

Expectations of the trio were high, but Aunty Donna captivated audiences with an onslaught of energy as soon as they danced on to the stage.

From the get-go, Aunty Donna engulfed their fans with their contagious madness by clambering over seats and running through the crowds.

To everyone’s delight, audience members were even given the opportunity to take part in Aunty Donna’s skits and perform next to the comedic artists. Ruane’s character, Lord Whoopie, invited special members to sit upon his throne, cordial was handed out, and a lucky audience member was given a psychic reading.

At a rapid-fire pace, Aunty Donna grabs the audience by the hand and yanks them into a delightfully surreal wonderland. With nothing but a chair and some microphones, the trio manage to hilariously embody true blue 'strayanism before recounting tales from tech support hell (or heaven).

One standout moment was when Bonnano dealt deftly with a technical issue, throwing a faulty microphone off stage defiantly and making it part of the entertainment amid all the dance moves, sweat and beards.

The frantic pace of this Aunty Donna experience did not falter for a moment even after the curtains fell. Bonanno, Kelly and Ruane are sure to meet their fans after the show; anyone could see the love the trio hold for their work and their audiences.