It’s been a tough few years for Joe Tracini. Lockdowns, a botched book launch, even the queen dying. It’s not easy for someone living with borderline personality disorder as he explains in Ten Things I Hate About Me. From dancing on Twitter to stints in rehab as ‘the ugliest guy on Hollyoaks’, this show is a deep dive into the inner workings of Tracini’s mind. Interspersed with moving songs on the ukulele and hilarious pictures from his childhood, he leads the audience on an emotional multimedia journey through his day-to-day life. It’s not a laugh-a-minute show, nor does it try to be. Instead, it’s a tender mix of comedy and storytelling where the humour is soft, unhurried and all the more powerful for it.

Although his condition makes it difficult for him to see what a star he is, we find Tracini a joy to watch, as the well-earned standing ovation confirms. His small smiles when he nails punchlines and the way he nearly explodes with excitement, like a ‘Doctor Who’ regeneration, make him utterly magnetic. Ultimately, this is a show about hope and why it’s absolutely worth holding on to. 

Joe Tracini: Ten Things I Hate About Me, Underbelly Bristo Square, until 24 August, 8.25pm; main picture: Linda Nyland.