Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

In his first foray into stand-up, Broden Kelly might have dialled down the intensity of his Aunty Donna persona as the domineering straight(ish)man, but that still leaves plenty of power for an impactful delivery that drives home the punchlines.

Yabusele – a title that remains unexplained, although it is the name of a basketball player – is his version of the straight-up ‘this is me’ debut. Rather than trying to cover every formative experience, he splits the hour into four chunky stories, from the childhood delights of an outer-suburb shopping mall to his desperate attempts to break into acting and the dubious early jobs he took.

Anecdotes from the character-moulding years of the early 2000s are rich with pop culture references and brand names that resonate strongly with the 36-year-old’s demographic. However, as someone who didn’t grow up in Australia, these didn’t evoke the same deep nostalgia in me – and without that, the stories do feel insubstantial.

That’s not an issue with the more personal routines, and the tale of his younger brother Mitch horrified to accidentally infect the family computer with unstoppable porn pop-ups in the early days of the internet is especially hilarious, brought to vivid life with Braden making us we feel every pang of his innocent sibling’s humiliation.

The comedian's own shame primarily comes from some of the dignity-defying jobs he took when trying to break into acting, from photoshoots to for the Melbourne Theatre Company to cringe-inducing supermarket adverts. Embarrassing old pictures can be bread-and-butter for a stand-up’s first show, but Kelly provides a context, and some decent jokes, to draw out more than the superficial laughs from images of him looking young – and with hair.

He brings some of Aunty Donna’s rambunctious energy to the material and absolutely commands the room, with the routines soaring the more he leans towards the ridiculous, especially those he barely needs to exaggerate. His opener, about Facebook groups dedicated to him (well, kind of), is especially strong on this front.

And if you’re a thirtysomething from a nondescript corner of Australia, you can probably add at least another half-star to this review to reflect the shared experiences underpinning some yarns will inevitably give them more impact.

Review date: 6 Apr 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival