Claudia Callisto has recently changed her occupation on her Facebook profile to 'Cultural Storyteller'. If you attend her 2023 Fringe show, Love is a Battlefield, you'll find out why. Culture is important to this first generation Italian Australian born to immigrant parents. Straddling two cultures as a teen of the 80s, Callisto is interested in the unwritten rules of ethnic culture in Australia and the way those rules have changed from her parent's heyday to now herself being the parent of teens. Strutting onto the stage in full 80s garb — think purple net Madonna gloves, ripped jeans, band-tee and big necklaces —Callisto sets her anecdotes to the backdrop of her favourite 80s hits. Starting with the show's namesake, other hits woven through her performance included songs from Wham, Abba, Tears for Fears and my personal fave, Hey Mickey by Toni Basil. Not only did Callisto strut her stuff with prop toy guitar and drum sticks, but audience boogying was, if not mandatory, certainly encouraged. Without giving too much away, the thrust of this show is perhaps not quite what the title would suggest. Rather than love itself being a hard thing, Callisto regaled with stories of how growing up a "good Italian girl" led to many battles with her strict parents to gain the freedoms that her Aussie school friends enjoyed. Contrasting her youth with those of today's Italian Australians and especially that of her teen son, Callisto eloquently made the point that we should all strive to be better, love better and live life to the fullest. The best parts of this show were Callisto's confident stage presence, her ability to grab and hold the audience's attention, fun with 80s bangers and the insights into growing up in accordance with the unwritten 'Ethnic Rule Book'. Two small criticisms are that the show could have been shortened—a tight 60 minutes would have packed more impact than the 90 it did span—and this show is aimed at a very particular social set. While I enjoyed it, I had to ask my BFF Italian Australian date to translate some of the 'in jokes'. It was, however, an overall pleasant evening in a fabulous location (Ferg's Stepney is an ultra hip winery) with lots of fun energy and a wonderful example of a proud "juzzy" woman telling her story to inspire and entertain.