His funniest material was about learning to “speak American.” Though Noah speaks English - indeed, he speaks multiple languages - English words in South Africa sometimes have a different meaning than ones in the U.S. Much of his stand-up concerns gender relations, his mixed-race heritage, and his observations the United States as someone who has moved here relatively recently. Noah moved from South Africa to Los Angeles after that incident. Noah confronted the shooter, who threatened his life. His mother eventually remarried and divorced in 2009, that man shot his mother. His mother was even jailed and fined by the government. He was born to a Xhosa and Jewish mother and a white father their marriage was illegal under the apartheid laws at the time. And, most importantly, it was really funny.

Without declaring himself one, he came off as a progressive feminist. Even before he debuted, old tweets of his emerged that were both offensive and (worse, for a comedian) unfunny.īut Noah’s stand-up set was superb. But he hasn’t been much of a hit otherwise. I like Noah on the new Daily Show when I catch it I particularly liked his bit comparing Donald Trump to African leaders. And, much like SugarHouse did on this night, Trevor Noah surprised me. It’s still a weird place to see a comedian’s stand-up set, but no weirder than any other place I’ve seen a comedy show. It’s a small space, fitting a little more than 700 people into the grand ballroom. On the second floor of the casino near the new entrance, the space is actually rentable for conferences, weddings, and similar events, and undergoes a hasty reconfiguration for concerts and similar events. I realized this as I walked through SugarHouse to go see a stand-up show from Trevor Noah on Saturday night in the casino’s new Event Center. Yes, the expansion included a giant parking garage. Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House is scheduled to open sometime in the near future. It’s expanded the gaming floor - the casino has an actual poker room now, instead of just a “poker tent” - and the whole place has been refreshed. The casino is in the process of a $165 million expansion. For a while, SugarHouse’s slogan might as well have been: “Sad, even for a casino.” It was just a slots barn at first only recently is it becoming more of a destination. Unfortunately, among my group of friends, I might be the only one to feel that way. That includes the sole casino in Philadelphia, SugarHouse. I enjoy the thrill of pretending that next small bet or slot pull will lead me to riches, I enjoy the people watching and I enjoy the complimentary drinks. I’m not a huge gambler, but I like places where you can gamble. Photo | Matt Bishop for SugarHouse Casino

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