Review: Human Entertainment at The Blue Room

Review by Tatum Stafford

Noah Skape is an undeniably talented, magnetic and versatile performer - and his debut solo show Human Entertainment showcases his breadth of skills in a tight and fast-paced 45 minutes that is well worth a look.

Dubbed a ‘clown-punk-cabaret’, the show jumps from character to character across a series of what Noah describes as “manic skits”, that include original punk songs and plenty of contrasting characters.

The show’s original music is super compelling and a clear highlight of the piece. There’s something for everyone, from gut-punchy lyrics and boppy melodies that change on a dime and showcase Noah’s beautiful voice. His vibrato is stunning and a real treat to hear up close in such an intimate venue.

One of this show’s other clear strengths is in Noah’s physicality and true commitment to embodying his characters. Without giving too much away, a baby giraffe portrayal had the audience in stitches and will stay with me for a long time. The show clearly requires a great deal of physical stamina and energy, which he maintains and is able to heighten when the moment calls for it, which was really enjoyable and admirable to watch.

One of the show’s limitations is unfortunately in its technical elements, particularly sound. Noah has grabbed soundbites including quotes or song lyrics that are interspersed throughout the show, and unfortunately, on the night I attended, were quite hard to make out in the space. Hopefully this was just a minor technical glitch that can be addressed, as the sound cues that I could make out were very humorous and impactful in the context of the piece.

I’m hopeful this isn’t Noah’s last outing in a one-man show as this show has a lot of potential and a lot of moments that had clear audience appeal. The show is well worth taking a chance on this Fringe - I guarantee it will offer you something different, and perhaps a bit left of centre. 

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