Barello is in Melbourne performing his one-man show Tonight! A Clown Who Wanted to be Loved? at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

He joined host Ray Troisi Lawrence to talk about his artform, the ubiquitous need to be loved and the importance of playfulness.

“I guess it happened in these last few years,” he said of his own need to be loved.

“I guess everybody does, but in these last years I realised that’s it - that’s the thing.

“I’m not talking only about romantic love; it’s love in general - connection with other people is what really, ultimately, matters for me in this life.”

During the interview, Barello provided rich insight into the artform of clowning and what makes it unique among other comedy crafts.

“Especially in Los Angeles, where I’m based, [there’s] a tendency to always try to be provocative … to be a mean clown,” he explained.

“Which can be fun, but I think clowns should also be something that has to do with being vulnerable.

“[As a clown, you should be] embracing, celebrating your weaknesses; showing your true self and not being afraid of that.”

Barello is also a member of Clowns Without Borders, an organisation that brings joy to those suffering humanitarian crises.

He recalled one of his first shows, in Mexico, performing for migrants from South America on their way to the US. Expecting to be performing in front of children, Barello was surprised to find himself in front of a crowd of mostly adults.

“I kind of froze,” he admitted, “I thought, ‘They’re gonna hate this. They’re here struggling; they probably went through terrible experiences to get here and now they see us four idiots doing our silly thing.’

“And they loved us,” he revealed, “They loved the show, they had a blast.

“They were laughing so hard. They jumped in [to the scene], playing with us. And after the show they wanted to talk and tell us their stories.”

The experienced provided Barello with a profound lesson. “I realised how important something apparently so silly can be,” he shared.

“One could think, ‘These people don’t need clowns here; they need food, they need jobs, they need shelter.’

“But we need to nourish the soul, too.”

If you’d like to nourish your soul, you can buy tickets to Barello’s show here.

Watch the full interview on Il Globo TV or YouTube.