Presented by A-List Entertainment
Reviewed 11 March 2015
The adult wizard, king of improv comedy, Ross Noble, is back in his new show, Tangentleman.
Noble kicked off his 2015 Fringe season at the Thebby Theatre on Tuesday night and, judging from the sell-out crowd at the 2000-capacity venue, Adelaide has welcomed him back with open arms and My Little Pony gifts (Noble’s child, the eldest, is apparently obsessed with them).
Renowned for his impromptu banter, crowd interaction, off-the-cuff zaniness, and energy bordering on ADD, Noble didn’t disappoint. The first half of his two-hour show was almost entirely unscripted material which relied on conversation with his audience and touched on taboo topics such as Rolf Harris, ISIS and Gwyneth Paltrow’s decapitated head. Noble designed his own gigantic blow-up set which he swears was ideologically conceived before the Ebola outbreak (and apologised for its likeness).
In the second half of the show, Noble regaled the audience with tales and observations from his life. It was as though the first half of the show was a necessary warm-up for him to reach this point and, while he still utilised improv, it felt like the show was really in swing after the “wee break”, which he also made much comment upon.
In this half of the show, Noble told a long tale of getting into a trolley race with driver, Lewis Hamilton despite Mr Hamilton remaining ignorant of his own participation. He charmed with stories about his children, and in particular “Baby Noble” who is two years old and apparently much like her father (loud, direct and sometimes embarrassing). He also explained, on behalf of all men, the real reason they don’t like wearing condoms during the act of love-making.
It is hard to present a balanced picture of what a Ross Noble gig is like if you’ve never witnessed this comedian in action. Picture an adult adolescent, hyped up on sugar and red cordial, with wits faster than a speeding bullet and a love of mashing up strange concepts to create the absurd. Noble has never had a ‘real job’ as he went into comedy at the age of 15 and that’s perhaps half the reason he’s so damned good at what he does. As he explained Tuesday night, he’s never hankered for a boss or an environment with a photocopier. Fair enough, really.
While there is a spattering of blue language, there’s considerably less than in other Fringe comedy shows, and it is suitable thematically for older kids coming along with the family. This type of humour will likely most appeal to young men, but overall the audience seemed to have a fabulous night. At $45 a ticket, it’s great value considering many other headliners at Fringe charge this for a show half the length.
If you haven’t seen Ross Noble live, go along – everyone should witness him at least once, and it’s doubtful any two shows will be the same.
Reviewed by Samantha Bond
Twitter: @sambond
Rating out of 5: 4.5
Venue: Thebarton Theatre, 112 Henley Beach Road, Thebarton
Season: 10 – 14 March 2015
Duration: 140 mins
Tickets: $45
Bookings: Book through FringeTix online or at a FringeTix box office (booking fees apply)
More News
