Review: Ross Noble – Cranium of Curiosities at Planet Royale

Ross Noble – Cranium of Curiosities at The Royale Theatre at Planet Royale
Tuesday, July 28, 2025

Imagine a carnival—a fair of sorts, like the Royal Show’s Carnival Alley—except this one is an embodiment of Ross Noble’s manic, scatological, cluttered mind.

With inflatables in his image crowding a stage smaller than he’s used to, that’s the starting point for the packed house tonight, before being treated to an hour of absolute madness and chaotic mayhem spewed forth almost in a stream of consciousness by the Newcastle-born now Aussie comic.

It would be interesting to know where his prepared material finished and where audience participation took over, because the show seemed heavily weighted towards the latter—which is wonderful and ensures that every show is unique, but must also be a stressful way for a performer to live. What if an audience is just… lame?!

No such trouble tonight—13-year-old Erica, brought to her first stand-up show by her mum, was centre front row and gave Noble a focal point, albeit a bemused one. Birthday girl Lisa seemed to revel in stories of chaos and death, and some of the other ladies up front were having a hoot of a time chatting with the main man.

Thankfully Nobel has a black belt in turning that into a hilarious experience for the entire room—and perhaps for himself as well, as he seemed to be having a great time, as entertained by some of the observations tumbling out of his mouth as we were. By the end of the show, our sides were hurting from laughing so much, and we were almost shellshocked by the unrepentant hilarity.

SHANE PINNEGAR