Mark Restuccia: How to Succeed at Internet Dating

Having experienced an estimated 1,500 first dates in a full decade of using internet matchmaking sites, you’d have thought Mark Restuccia would have some pretty wild tales to tell in this hour of themed standup.

Sadly he appears to be unwilling to reveal them – the closest he comes to an anecdote about the dating skeletons in his closet is a story about a girl who dared order a mojito in a Wetherspoons. It’s hardly Fatal Attraction. Instead, the show is largely comprised of the kind of jokes irritating friends send in group emails; amusing pictures of animals, funny grammatical errors and lists. Lots of lists. All delivered using the obligatory powerpoint presentation.

It’s such a waste, because Restuccia has a hugely likable and confident stage presence; indeed he shines when breaking free of the self-imposed boundaries of the show’s title, a lot better at just telling a few jokes than sticking to his restrictive narrative. The hour ends with a clumsy attempt to pull everything together, piling call-back upon call-back to the extent it feels like a summary rather than a worthy conclusion.

A baffling short film adds to the feeling that he’s trying to tick all the boxes of what he thinks a Fringe show should be, but no amount of bells and whistles can disguise a real lack of quality control here. While the set might not help you succeed at internet dating it could perhaps be used as an instructive lesson on what to avoid if you ever choose to bring your own hour to Edinburgh.