LAW REVUE DEBUT: OR, ‘HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE LAUGHED AT BY HUNDREDS OF STRANGERS?’

VERITY JOHNSON
Volume 8, Issue 3
Docklands: Paris of the South. Who hasn’t spent an evening exchanging sweet nothings with lovers underneath the Big Wheel’s light? ​

No? No. We haven’t either. So yes, Docklands has the sex appeal of a mushroom. But it does have one thing going for it. And that is that it plays host to this year’s Law Revue.

‘UniMelb Law Revue: On Ice’ is the latest incarnation of a much loved and acclaimed University and comedy institution. The show has been running for over 60 years and in that time it has launched the careers of Working Dog (The Castle, Thank God You’re Here), Magda Szubanski, Sammy J, Celia Pacquola and Steve Vizard….not that we’re name dropping.

And since it’s on at the moment, 20th, 21st, 22nd of August, tickets at thelawrevue.com, we thought we’d give you a little taste of what it’s like to be in the show. And plug shamelessly. (Did I mention it’s on the 20th, 21st, 22nd August? And that if you come on the 20th as a law student you get access to dodgem cars? HOW COOL IS THAT!?)

So what’s it like to be in it? It’s terrifying.

Now of course, Melbourne is the city of comedy. Not only does it host the third largest comedy festival in the world, but it also has a thriving comedy scene. This means that the audiences have seen a lot of comedy. Which also means that the pressure is on for comics to produce fresh material. This makes writing the show a terrifying experience. But it can also be a fantastic incentive to work harder and be funnier than you ever thought you could be.

And of course, it’s already terrifying because of the nature of live comedy. It’s one of the only art forms where you get immediate, honest feedback from the audience. And if that feedback’s bad, then good luck powering through the rest of your show. That being said, this fear produces the adrenaline needed to create the bizarre, energetic, impromptu magic that the best shows have.

Lastly, the entire point of comedy is to make a lemon of yourself in public. It takes a strange type of person who is willing to stand up and say, “please laugh at my most humiliating secrets.” That time you ripped your pants in a job interview? It becomes a sketch. That time your mother found you naked and covered in gravy? Well…maybe only if you’re desperate. But the nature of comedy is taking your most painful moments and inviting the public to laugh at them. That in itself is terrifying. But at the same time it’s thrilling; you can make someone laugh.

So yes, doing Law Revue is terrifying. And that’s precisely why you should do it. If you’ve got the itch, the dirty secret, the persistent whisper that you are funny then you must do something about it. You have to try it. Go for the auditions, write sketches, practice material on unsuspecting parents and friends. It’s terrifying. But it’s the way that magic is made.

And don’t forget, 20th, 21st, 22nd of August. Did I mention that?

Verity Johnson is a cast member of the 2015 Law Revue. The three final nights of the Revue are 21, 22 and 23 August. For more info, visit www.thelawrevue.com.