Ross Noble, one of the country's most instantly recognisable comedians, was on stage this evening at Salford's Lowry Theatre, proving to us all (as if proof were necessary) just why he remains at the top of the pile.
Standing on the Lowry's Lyric Theatre stage alone can be a very daunting experience.. the stage is massive, and you need to have a great stage presence and a big personality to fill it. Enter Ross Noble. Actually, the set for his tour took up a lot of the stage this evening - a large human head split in two with a web of lights (brain matter) joining them - which was clever, and a nice addition, but Noble needed nothing to hide amongst.
Standing on the Lowry's Lyric Theatre stage alone can be a very daunting experience.. the stage is massive, and you need to have a great stage presence and a big personality to fill it. Enter Ross Noble. Actually, the set for his tour took up a lot of the stage this evening - a large human head split in two with a web of lights (brain matter) joining them - which was clever, and a nice addition, but Noble needed nothing to hide amongst.
His rapport with his audience starts immediately, and the banter is non-stop. Whatever the audience throws (or doesn;t throw) at him, he is able to make comedy out of it. A person's name, their voice, what they say, and this evening's themes seemed to be mustard and Tupperware amongst a few other gems. Noble owns the stage, and instead of standing behind a mic for the entire time he paces up and down physicalising everything: he 'becomes' the people he is talking about, and as his improvised storytelling wanders further and further into the depths of his imagination the characters become fully-formed caricatures and it is no longer a stand-up routine, but a theatrical comedy performance.
He appears manic and disorganised, but in fact, that's the clever bit; there is a structure to his routine, and his call-backs to earlier jokes and characters are superbly placed. Although, the moments when he does stray from the path and starts to make himself laugh are actually some of the funniest.
He appears manic and disorganised, but in fact, that's the clever bit; there is a structure to his routine, and his call-backs to earlier jokes and characters are superbly placed. Although, the moments when he does stray from the path and starts to make himself laugh are actually some of the funniest.
Throughout the evening he punctuates his routine with numerous film and TV references. Some more obscure than others, but even if you didn't - like me - understand them all, the comedy is so good, the routine is still funny. There are also occasional impersonations of famous people - all done in the best ever possible taste! - and this evening it was the turn of Fiona Bruce, Greta Thunberg, and David Attenborough to name just three.
Noble is a consummate comedian and his place as one of the UK's finest "stream-of-consciousness" comedians is absolutely not in doubt. Every show will be somewhat different, but one thing you can guarantee is you'll be getting 100% pure comedy genius every time. A superb evening's entertainment by the master of the muddled mind!
Now to go to Youtube and find Squid Game...!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
Now to go to Youtube and find Squid Game...!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 2.11.21
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