Have you ever wondered what would happen if Ronald McDonald met Mario? Me neither, but this show gave me answers I didn't know I needed. Such as, if Ronald McDonald did meet Mario and s/he attempted to choke him with her thighs, would he call the police? Yes, apparently! 

With your interest sufficiently piqued, let's move on to a slightly more comprehensible review of Johnno McDonno Falls in Love. There's singing, dancing, sleight of hand, clowning, circus, and a healthy dose of audience participation (no, don't be frightened), all performed in up to five languages! By the end of the show, you'll know how to introduce yourself in Japanese by osmosis, and, if you're a fast learner, how to yell at someone in Italian.

Burger King gets appropriately mocked and Mario is the inspiration for our resident strong-woman, with impressive pole acrobatics and lyra hoop acts that blend into a video game level. Even better than the circus talent on show is the chemistry between Mario and Definitely Not Ronald McDonald (another sentence I never thought I'd write), but as these clowns cartwheel into each other's hearts, they cartwheel right into yours too. Some moments are genuinely poignant and poetic, as Johnno falls ukulele-over-heels for his co-star. I found myself thinking, ‘This is so silly’, but with a big smile on my face and a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest.

I can guarantee you that you will never be so engrossed to watch a clown eat a piece of dry spaghetti in your life, and nowhere else on earth are you going to see Mario rip a phone book in half or hear the best cover of La Vie en Rose ever played on a kazoo. To find out how on earth all these things fit together, come and see Johnno McDonno Falls in Love – and bring the whole family.

Arigatō!