DVD review: Ross Noble – Nonsensory Overload
Ross Noble’s new DVD, Nonsensory Overload, does exactly what it says on the tin. The amount of material included on this three-disc package is almost as mental as the Geordie comedian himself. Quite apart from the beautifully produced feature show filmed in Canberra, Australia, which runs to two and a half hours, Noble has included almost three hours of extra footage from other shows in this release. This is on top of optional commentary. It’s just incredible.
And that vast mass of material is ideal in covering for what has, in the past, been the flaw of Noble’s shows: the fact that if he gets onto a topic you don’t get along with, you have to put up with it until he’s finished…which could be a while. With Nonsensory Overload, this can hardly be a problem – don’t like a topic? Skip over it, there’s plenty more. Hell, if you don’t like a show then skip over it – you’re spoiled for choice…
Nonsensory Overload, as a show, is excellent however – so you’re unlikely to get cause to exercise that chapter-skipping thumb. Noble begins the show as he means to continue, with effortless, erratic audience interaction and wild tangential joke-stories. It’s quite clear that, in typical style, about half of the material seems to be made up on the spot, and developed through the stage; while it doesn’t feel slick or polished, it’s more than acceptable coming from Noble’s wayward, daydreaming persona.
One of the things I particularly admire about this show, and about Ross’s character onstage, is the fact that even relatively explicit jokes become palatable; even though, for example, he talks for over 15 minutes about tying a teabag to your scrotum and making tea by dangling it into a cup of water, I would still consider this to be a suitable family show. There’s just something about the hesitant, apologetic way Noble tackles such topics that eliminates any distasteful reaction, making this a likely family hit this holiday.
It’s also the kind of comedy that it’s easy to spend a long time watching. Comedians with more structured jokes often seem as though they’re attempting quite a high-risk performance – miss one punchline, and the energy will sag noticeably. With Ross it’s different; the material is so meandering and thoroughly non-payoff-oriented that when people stop laughing he can simply move on. This quality also makes the performance very watchable on DVD, because it doesn’t require the rigorous attention that some comics demand.
All in all, this is a DVD set that really gives you a wide selection of material, and will appeal to most audiences. Noble is a tried-and-true comic who doesn’t disappoint this time around, either with the quality of his humour or the zaniness of his visions. This collection deserves to be a big hit this Christmas, especially for someone who doesn’t mind getting something a little bit psychedelic in their stocking.
