Why The Law is Literally Me: The Law Revue Review

“How tampons and executions humanise the law was a connection that you may never have thought about, but the Law Revue definitely did. While we (yes, WE) might expect a law sketch comedy show to probably revel in courtroom drama and unserious cases, we (yes, WE) would be wrong. The Law Revue takes any pre-conceived notions and ideas that you have and flips them upside down- revealing a very well-written, unexpectedly introspective, and excellently unhinged, hilarious play. Surprisingly good at capturing the essence of law, the show thrived on chaos and unpredictability. And if you’re still on the fence about it, just know that Elmo was in the show- what more could you want?”

The lineup of Gollum, Hercule Poirot, Julius Caesar and Elmo sounds like either the set-up of a terrible bar joke or a perfect dream blunt rotation- so imagine my surprise when the Law Revue proved it was neither, but a secret third thing- just incredibly funny.

As I sat in the audience, ready to watch the Law Revue show, I had no idea what to expect. After all, how many jokes can one really get out of The Criminal Code Act or Fuller v Hart? However, the Law Revue took me by surprise with their quick, concise skits and steady momentum. The show moved easily between dry contemporary satire, the 2000’s parody era (I will never look at APS6 or Chandelier by Sia in the same light again), and the more “traditional” slapstick comedy (a moment of silence for the dead body in CSIRO).  I thought it was an incredibly clever way to not only showcase their talents but also prove that the law can be genuinely funny.

What I mean by that is pretty simple- the way that they incorporated the law in comedy was smart and natural, not overdone yet not ignored. I expected that the play would have a heavy theme of law looming over it, and that would be what everything would revolve around. However, that isn’t what happened, and what they did was miles better than my limited imagination (shocker). To anyone but a law student (or anyone in the legal field, to be fair), the law is mostly black or white- either something is legal, or it’s not. The “common man”, so to speak, doesn’t go around looking at all the nuances of legal decisions and acts and their correlation to history, environment, culture and politics- at least not to the degree that people in law think about. For most, the law is an alien entity that works on facts and rules. And while this understanding isn’t necessarily wrong, it severely discounts the inherently human nature of the law. Law, at the end of the day, is incredibly human- created by and for humans, through humans. 

Law helps determine morality, criminal conduct, retribution, rehabilitation, and, ultimately, how a person should be allowed to live. Yet it is far from static. It’s an ever-changing, fickle thing- laws and acts that we learn today will change tomorrow. The law, I think, is best viewed as something reactive- it reacts to new ideas, information, context and changing perspectives and moulds itself to better work for society. A common misconception about law is that it’s frigid and unfeeling. In reality, it is completely human-like; constantly evolving, being influenced by everything around it, and correcting its old mistakes while also making new ones. This humanisation of law- a theme which is pretty difficult to define (to note: someone smarter than me could probably do a much better job)- was beautifully presented by the Law Revue. 

The Law Revue was clever in not making the law the “central focus” (with exceptions, of course), but instead, by showcasing how it subtly plays out in the background of events. This approach incorporated law without feeling heavy-handed. The humanization of Law that I deemed to be so difficult to thematically incorporate was, in fact, successfully incorporated by the Law Revue. Layered between satirical jokes and spot-on impressions (which were really fun to see), criticisms and a deeper look into the law were achieved in a light-hearted way. A skit about a convicted criminal going to be executed but stuck between long, complicated legal processes and forms for so long that they probably would have executed themselves, was such a quick-witted way to call out how often justice in law is denied or deterred by complex legal processes that only tire and confuse an individual. Even a simple (but hilarious) ad about pads for men cracked a joke about the “pink tax” but also brought up the politics around products being advertised for men and women (think “fight your acne like the man you are” versus “society deems you of no value if you have a singular pimple”).  The Law Revue, I thought, did a fantastic job of balancing comedy and insight, capturing the true essence of the law and making it both entertaining and human.

The Law Revue members were actually kind enough to talk to the Peppercorn after their show, despite having just performed and packing up their props. While talking to various members, we learned that all of their material was entirely original: they typically started with a punchline or main theme and built each skit around it. This creativity and care behind their work were clear, reflecting both skill and passion in the final product. Further, as we continued chatting with them and some audience members who were Law Revue alumni, it became obvious that the group is a tight-knit community, with friendships and support extending well beyond the club. This sense of camaraderie shines through in their performances, which are clearly crafted with love. On a lighter note, we found that the ‘waffle’ was a particular favourite character of the cast and that tax fraud was the crime most of their characters would commit. 

Overall, I had a blast in the theatre. The performance explored various mediums and depths of comedy and law and translated them into a thematically strong and hilarious play. I would highly recommend catching their shows if you can, as not only are they worth going to, but they might also explain some of the eccentric characters I have mentioned in this piece and prove to your friends that law is actually not that boring.