You know you’ve reached a unique point at the Fringe when you catch a stand-up show in the basement of The Rhino Room, and the comedian has a computer monitor and a Garfield phone on stage with him. Honestly, you couldn’t ask for anything more on-brand from Melbournite Tommy Dassalo! Among making appearances on The Project, Dassalo is also known for ribbing and throwing insults on podcasts The Little Dum Dum Club and Filthy Casuals.

In his new stand-up show, Scam Artist, Dassalo uses the framework of being a victim of identity theft with an ANZ loan by self-reflecting on different life events, both recent and decades apart. Dassalo’s storytelling and comedic timing are both attention-grabbing and hilarious, going between different stories of being mistaken for the lead singer of Hot Chip, and auditioning for various ABC comedy shows. In between the stories, Dassalo gets calls on his Garfield phone (a bit unprofessional to answer personal calls during your show, but aight), and speaks to various cartoon characters about solving the scammer’s identity. Considering all the hacks in late 2022, suddenly Scam Artist has become more of a cautionary tale! All of the interludes are very well animated and have some little voice cameos, which then tie all the stories together at the end in a comedic bow. You couldn’t find a more textbook example of a structured stand-up show.

The ribbing energy definitely shines through as Tommy Dassalo immediately targeted a poor fella in the tiny space who decided to bring in KFC and sit right in front of Dassalo. So if you want to have some guaranteed audience interaction in a 20-seat show, bring in something special! Of course, it’s all in good fun, especially when he, the Victorian, decides to make some remarks about Adelaide. Some of the jokes did go over most of our heads as he had very specific and niche comments, but his bullet tram idea was quite amusing. The small space definitely allows for a closer and more intimate experience, which allows for the stories and punchlines to feel more immersive.

Overall, Tommy Dassalo – Scam Artist is a humourous look at self-reflection and self-evaluation, while also sharing some jabs at everyone, including himself! If you’re after some good laughs in a tiny space, I can certainly recommend Scam Artist.