Show reviewed: 14/03/26

Show rating: It’s always better in Italian because that’s amore, 5 stars!

In Giuseppe’s Love Quest, Giuseppe Alfresco is loose in Adelaide and looking for romance because he has never felt love, given or received it. Jeromaia Detto is one of Australia’s leading comedians who is a master of clowning and improvisation, both of which feature heavily in this show. He has won awards and trained internationally in London, Chicago, Oslo and studied with clown master, Philippe Gaulier, in Paris. He is also teaches improvisation and clowning workshops (for more information check out: https://jeromaiadetto.com)

It is a lot of improvised chaos in the crowd work that takes to make this a dynamic production; yet it’s a very sweet and kind type of comedy heckling, where you are not being laughed at, but with Jeromaia. I saw “Giuseppe” as a concept in development at the Adelaide Fringe in 2025 and Detto has elevated the character into not one but two shows at the festival.* Detto has a contagious smile, an infectious spirit and laughs as much as the audience as we join Giuseppe on his journey from a bachelor to Papa Giuseppe. Detto is not serving delicious pizza much to my disappointment…he did dish up some nifty word play in a karaoke number that were word crimes that deserve punishment. (No, I’m not sorry I went there.)

The gossip is that Giuseppe is an Italian beach boy who doesn’t know the power of love and is on a quest to find a soul mate. Much to the dismay of audience members, he has volunteered the services of the mob for relationship advice and begins with an elaborate rose giving ceremony that knows no boundaries. Jeromaia prides himself on producing spaces where play, silliness’s and levity for adults is harnessed. It was all of these things and more.

The format of the show is very unexpected and spontaneous, some of it is loosely sketch based and some of it depends on the audience participation. Detto is a master of drawing out the most inhibited crowd members to interact with him and the production is truly the most fun I’ve had at Fringe this year! My jaw actually hurt from how much I was laughing so much last night! You can also purchase a plush rose to remember your brief fringe romance until you awkwardly run into Jeromaia at next year’s festival.