Written and performed by Noah Skape, Human Entertainment is a one-man variety show that combines found audio, original music, physical theatre and surrealist storytelling in a series of connected vignettes. This tightly-structured fever dream is difficult to describe due to its unconventional format and the impossibility of condensing a kaleidoscopic world into concrete words.
Noah Skape is a dynamic force in the world of weird punk rock music, drawing inspiration from eclectic sources. Known for defying the boundaries of convention, Skape and his Perth-based band have garnered significant recognition, earning nominations for the WAM Song of the Year award as well as scoring festival appearances and compilation inclusions.
Human Entertainment review – quick links
A little bit of everything and its opposite
Human Entertainment’s unconventional narrative structure is described by the artist as the ‘theatre version of flicking through free-to-air channels at 2am in 1996’ and he isn’t wrong. If a traditional play can be compared to a movie, this show is an analogue for doomscrolling through the curated consciousness of a semi-disturbed lucid dreamer. It’s like TikTok for your brain, but a thousand times more potent because it’s live, unique and will catch you off guard more than once.
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Original music and found-audio sound collages are integral to the production, incorporating an eclectic array of styles with punk rock undertones. Spanning every vibe between cinematic and uncanny, the sound design encapsulates everything-and-its-opposite, from impending doom to manic optimism.
Layered lyrics vacillate between symbolism, humour and irony. Cumulatively, the soundtrack is perfectly balanced in that it’s grounded by the heaviness of existential dread and uplifted by the lightness of absurdist humour – an intoxicating mix!
Absurdist humour that makes you think
Transforming his vocal style, accent and clothes throughout the show, Skape’s physically demanding role requires flawless timing, a razor sharp memory and physical stamina, which Skape nails. His masterful command over movement, voice and expression veers from larger-than-life melodrama to nuanced subtlety, deployed as needed with theatrical skill and comedic precision.
Through character acting, Skape pushes back against the idea of following a dream, presumably whilst following his dream.
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This theatrical work of art is as reflective as it is entertaining. Overt examples of juxtaposition blend with a healthy dose of absurdist humour to create semi-opaque social commentary that makes you wonder whether you’re reading too far into it, or not far enough.
Either way, it will get you thinking, and you might even enjoy some positive brainwashing at the end of the show (no spoilers, just trust).
Brilliantly conceived, excellently executed and genuinely funny, Human Entertainment will tickle your neurons and lodge itself in your psyche alongside its memorable songs.
If you like black box theatre, punk rock cabaret and baby giraffes, you’ll love this show.
