By Elyce Phyllips
Sketch comedy group Aunty Donna (Broden Kelly, Adrian Dean, Zachary Duane and Mark Samuel Bonanno) are stranded on their way to a gig at the Nar Nar Goon RSL. The only way they can make it on time is to solve the murder of the Fax Machine Shop man. What ensues is a chaotic hour of absurd and downright filthy comedy as the boys use their unique skills to unravel the mystery. If you imagine that Agatha Christie were a 13-year-old boy who had just discovered the joy of using naughty words, you might start to get an idea of the Aunty Donna experience.
‘Aunty Donna and the Fax Machine’ is a very slick production. It’s tightly scripted and well-performed. The plot often takes turns for the bizarre, and it’s in these more surreal moments that the show really shines. Aunty Donna are a wonderful team and play off each other beautifully. For the most part they play themselves and there’s great camaraderie onstage. There’s some good character acting in there too – Dean and Duane’s portrayal of the couple that run the organic bookshop is a particular highlight.
However, this was a show that divided the audience. While a good portion of the sold-out crowd was laughing uproariously through the whole show, there were also some who were clearly very uncomfortable. It comes down to how crude you like your humour. This show is full of dick jokes. There is an awful lot of talk of bodily fluids and the language is about as explicit as you can get. Personally, I enjoyed this show. I found a lot to laugh at. Admittedly, there were moments where the crudeness was a bit excessive, but I felt that the strength of the rest of the show more than made up for it. But it’s really a matter of personal preference. If you’re not a fan of crude humour, you’re probably going to find this show excessive. If you’re alright with a few c-bombs and liberal discussion of semen, you’ll have a lot of fun.
Aunty Donna and the Fax Machine Shop is on at The Loft at the Lithuanian Club until October 13
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/aunty-donna-and-the-fax-machine-shop/