The Travelling Sisters (MICF)

The Travelling Sisters are impressively versatile performers, offering a contemporary take on a vaudevillian variety show. Their current show includes singing, dancing, sketches, improv, a send-up of stand-up and some inspired physical comedy; the sheer amount of collective talent demonstrated by the trio is extraordinary.

Like all great musical comedy troupes, the Sisters sing a self-mythologising origin song to get us all caught up before diving off into the deep end. Their particular deep end involves Mighty Boosh-style crimping, impressive theatrical acting chops and a slew of remarkably diverse songs of all manner of musical genres.

Even their numerous costume changes are highly entertaining, soundtracked by nonsensical sound poetry reminiscent of Reggie Watts. It is enormous fun watching the trio transform into various kooky characters with hilarious costumes and hastily applied makeup.

This is not a show that audience members passively observe. The front row, in particular, is implicated in a murder mystery, cloyingly flattered, and encouraged to sing along. One especially fortunate audience member - in tonight's case, your humble reviewer - is invited onstage for a delightful game of Roll The Sausage (don't worry, it's less humiliating than the name suggests).

The whole thing is fun and smart and silly and absurd, with songs and sketches from the perspectives of goats, bogans and potatoes. As comedy becomes increasingly 'confessional' and self-serious, it's nice to have a healthy dose of farcical folly every now and then.

The Travelling Sisters play till 23 Apr at the Butterfly Club, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.