one4review | On 21, Aug 2026

Jeromaia Detto, as Giuseppe Alfresco, is looking for love. In the UK this feels like more dangerous ground than it perhaps is elsewhere in the world. In the current climate we’re incredibly aware of men being creepy, and there’s a potentially unfair stereotype of Italian men being creepy. Therefore, Giuseppe’s innocent attempts to discover love begin slightly on the back foot with an incredibly timid, slightly too self-aware fringe audience.

Detto is clearly one of the most skilled performers I’ve seen at the Fringe. He’s warm, funny and ingeniously light, gently teasing this reluctant crowd into playing along. There’s an almost arms-crossed quality to the room at the beginning, but Detto gradually changes it through sheer warmth and silliness.

The show is essentially asking: What is a hug? What is a kiss? approaches these questions with a playful naivety that I’m not sure many other performers could pull off without becoming creepy or irritating. In Detto’s hands, it’s disarmingly charming.

The show is dedicated to Detto’s grandfather Giuseppe, and genuine affection threads through the performance. There are some excellent set pieces alongside numerous improvised puns. Detto is extremely witty, although tonight those puns don’t always get the response they deserve.

At one point he sings a song while an audience member is supposed to press a button at exactly the right moment. She does not press the button at all – literally giving him nothing to play with. Detto’s response – do it again! You genuinely couldn’t ask for much worse support, but Detto turns even this into something funny.

The show climaxes with Giuseppe finally going on a date with an audience member. Crucially, she’s keen to play along, and suddenly the entire dynamic changes. After spending the hour coaxing us into his world, Detto finally had someone completely willing to play along. The section flies, and when Giuseppe ends the date, she and the audience are genuinely disappointed that it didn’t go on longer.

I think Detto has done something incredibly difficult and smart here. There may still be another layer to discover. Detto himself is in a relationship, and perhaps allowing us to glimpse more of the real person underneath Giuseppe could deepen what the show is asking about love.

Some of the puns might also benefit from being framed through a game with an individual audience member, giving him an ally in the room and something more concrete to bounce against when people are cynical.

But these are refinements to a performer already operating at an extraordinarily high (award winning) level. Detto is one of the warmest, funniest and silliest clowns I’ve seen, with an unusual ability to play on thin ice without losing the audience.

On a night with a more supportive crowd, I can imagine this show flying considerably higher. Tonight, with an audience giving him very little to work with, it was still a four-star show. That says everything about how good Detto is.

★★★★

Reviewed by Stephen ‘Sharpie’ Sharp
Underbelly George Square
Until 30 August
18.45 (1 hour)