Comedy Review - Ross Noble: On the Go
Images courtesy of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
It must be hard walking out to a one hour show with roughly five minutes of material, but Ross Noble made it look easy as he roasted the heavily tattooed guy in the front row for at least a third of his show. Whether it be erectile dysfunction, his bald head looking a little too much like a genie’s top, the moustache his girlfriend had, or the inconspicuous knife tattoo up his right arm. Ross made the show about the crowd.
The tone was set when the crowd was directed to turn their phones off before Noble began ribbing particular people in the front rows for the crowd to laugh at. Singling each out at a time, be it the waving lady, the guy who needed to use the toilet, the aforementioned tattoo guy, or even the one who was supposed to remind Ross to get around to the punchline, the comedian shared the show with the audience, to the great delight of all in attendance.
I’m sure some comedians spend ages preparing for one of the biggest comedy festivals in the world. With Ross, I honestly couldn’t tell where the script ended & the improv began. That factor increased my immersion with his runaway gags tenfold, which he acknowledged by noting that anyone who had gone to a toilet in the middle of the show would’ve been completely lost by the time they returned. Punctuality pays off with this show, Ross reminded the crowd at the halfway point.
But even if you lost the plot halfway through, fear not. There was a beautiful starry night backdrop behind him the whole show which was visually entertaining enough to keep anyone occupied long enough for Ross to get caught up on another tangent in which you could tune back into the plot. An incomparable fear of looking at your phone is scorched into your mind for the whole hour as you remain fearful that he might spot the illumination of your screen and call you out in the middle of the crowd, which happened to multiple audience members throughout the show.
Hot punchlines were woven throughout, keeping the audience on their feet and ready for anything that came at them. From Prince Andrew jokes to Prince Phillip jokes, the tone was on a knife’s edge as Ross continually remained perplexed, attempting to work out the audience’s limits the entire night. As a matter of fact, the organic nature of the whole show inextricably heightened the entertainment factor. It ma you walk out feeling special.
On the Go is showing at the 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival between the 30th of March and the 24th of April. For tickets and more info, click here.