Summary
Trevor Noah: Travel Man. Where Was I is a well-crafted hour that’ll take you through America, Germany, and France, with a few laughs along the way.
Comedian Trevor Noah riffs on national anthems, derailing a German sightseeing tour, and getting roasted in Paris in his new Netflix special Trevor Noah: Where Was I, about his world travels.
If you don’t know Trevor Noah, he is a South African comedian, television host, actor, and political commentator. He is the host of The Daily Show and has had an extensive career, including a previous Netflix special in I Wish You Would. He doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Trevor Noah: Where Was I review
The special is filmed at The Fox Theatre in Detroit, and it’s a flashy setting. Not just the bog standard red curtain hanging behind, he’s got pink ones draped across too. With lanterns hanging down from the ceiling, it makes the set appear warmer and more intimate.
It’s a packed house. The swinging shots of Noah and the audience showcase the amazingly detailed sides and ceiling of the theatre — it’s beautiful. I was a little distracted and not listening to him at the start.
He starts his set by stating he’s enjoying America a lot more now — as you enjoy something a lot more when you know it’s ending. Here he sets the scene for an hour of jokes about travelling and countries and cultures, tapping into social crises. He moves swiftly onto Germany and Hitler — something American audiences would love.
What I enjoyed about this comedy set was it had a distinct theme, which was traveling. It’s a comfortable set. Not daring in any way, but a friend sharing their stories and not as annoying as the ones who took a gap year and can’t shut up about it. It’s a clever way to constrict your writing and you’ve got to give credit, it’s a lot harder to write a whole set on one topic. He does ramble on about national anthems for far too long though — that got boring, fast. He also sang “God save the Queen” when it’s “King” now, so…
Noah’s style is simple. He walks across the stage, does some accents to help his stories, and has a decent amount of facial expressions, which help with the close-ups. He’s easy to watch.
He also makes a lot of references to history, and there’s a clear social and political influence in his comedy as he brings it back to America’s political agendas, educational systems, and attitude toward history. This leads to a very funny segment about kids learning through TikTok and not textbooks.
Is Trevor Noah: Where Was I Worth Watching?
Is Where Was I my favorite set of the year? No. Is it my favorite set by Noah? Also no. However, it’s worth watching for you to compare your travel stories and see if you can resonate with his experiences and find a shared humor and experience.
This will make an easy evening watch this holiday season.
What did you think of Trevor Noah: Where Was I? Comment below.
