one4review | On 14, Aug 2026

Francisco de Nata is a giraffe. In a G-string. With a job to do.

From the moment he arrives, Francisco connects with the audience. There’s something Rowan Atkinson-esque about his face: hugely expressive, capable of turning the smallest reaction into a joke.

The loose plot centres around Francisco attempting to prepare and paint a ceiling for his Avó, his real-life grandmother, who appears through voice notes. Along the way, there’s painting to be done, laundry to hang and a series of increasingly ridiculous domestic obstacles to overcome.

There’s a lovely playful disdain between Francisco and his audience (but maybe that’s covering some of the lack of development in the bits) his call outs are really funny.

During the show Francisco falls in love.

This eventually culminates in a full wedding ceremony. It’s a big, joyful celebration, with the audience brought into proceedings, and one of the strongest sequences in the show.

Francisco de Nata is definitely funny. The clowning works particularly well when he is reacting to the audience, where his expressive face and natural ability to connect make even tiny moments land.

The show itself isn’t quite as consistently developed. Some of the individual bits feel undercooked, there are stretches of silence that are a bit too long. That lack of developed material means relying on Francisco’s considerable charm and crowd connection to carry them.

But when everything comes together, there’s something wonderfully fun, silly and joyful about watching a giraffe in a G-string engaging a group of strangers to celebrate his wedding.

***
Reviewed by Stephen “Sharpie” Sharp
Underbelly Bristo Square
Until 30 August (not 18)
20.30 (1 hour)