Ross Noble take us into the many drifting thoughts and ludicrous ideas that fill his mind.
Reviewed at the Thebarton Theatre on 12 March 2019
Presented by A-List Entertainment
After 19 years, the English comedian with an imagination to rival most, Ross Noble, is still travelling the globe scrambling around on stage conveying his consistently unusual, sometimes utterly disturbing and down-right bizarre trains of thought to a more than willing audience.
As the curtain drops and the speakers boom with his introduction, the audience is first mesmerised by a stage completely filled with a blow-up, sawed in half creation of Noble’s head with multiple glowing chords connecting the halves from across the stage. As the comedian walks out on stage in front of his decapitated and halved head it all starts to make sense – Noble is taking us into the many drifting thoughts and ludicrous ideas that fill his mind.
No-one can diverge into different trains of thought like this man can with Noble wandering off into a tangent about dipping women’s’ breasts into liquid humans when originally telling a story involving an elderly Chinese man – or was it a story about Anthony Callea and Alice Cooper? Who really knows, you’d need a mind-map of some sort to truly keep track.
The comedian takes playful shots at everyone and everything, from Adelaide’s very own Wang Wang and Fu Ni and the city’s favourite bright green electric scooters to the mentally ill and Chris Martin’s confetti-covered butt crack. Not even the beloved worldwide star Lionel Richie is free from the comedian’s grasp (though Noble does seem to be on to uncovering something sinister within the singer’s lyrics).
Noble has as always had a knack for over-the-top impersonations with his Adelaide audience receiving a disturbing serenade of Richie’s famous Three Times a Lady from a somewhat seductive Gollum from Lord of the Rings. There’s also (of course) room for an example of pandas having sex and elderly Welsh ladies not only wearing g-strings.
Towards the end the show the laughter does seem to falter slightly and the direction-less comedy does start to feel rather repetitious. Though, whether or not the length of the show bothers you depends on how much of a die-hard Noble fan you are, with many in the audience loving the comedian’s presence down to the very last second.
Rising to mainstream fame through his participation on British television and mainly panel shows including Have I Got News For You, Noble is now a staple on the worldwide comedy circuit. This makes sense as Noble seems to thrive when interacting with those around him including the audience, creating humorously spontaneous reactions that make every show truly unique.
Ross Noble: Humournoid does give the audience a hell of a bang (130 minutes’ worth) for their buck, but whether or not this lengthy stand-up is for you or not depends on your dedication to the comedian. For those who aren’t truly acquainted with the comedian’s unique style this might be too much, but for die-hard Noble fans, this one is definitely a winner.
Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox
Venue: Thebarton Theatre, 112 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville, 5031
Season: 12 – 16 March 2019
Duration:130 mins
Tickets: $42 – $45
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