John Solicitt (James Palm) and Roger Steele (Kristian Barron) are legal heroes, lawyers as benevolent as they are brilliant, dogged in their pursuit of justice. Their strong convictions lead to their downfall, with Solicitt convicted for stealing evidence, the partnership dissolved and both lawyers struck off. A chance at redemption is offered by their mentor, the renowned Sir Arthur Stafford QC (David Gregory), who pulls strings to have them defend Vanessa Rosetta (Emily Robb), the young socialite widow of his murdered friend.
While Solicitt and Steele rapidly reassemble their old office team, complete with a pair of eager clerks, Lucy and Clark (Jessica Dunn and Elijah Melvin), spirits are dampened as they find that the prosecution will be lead by the ruthless Wolfgang von Lionheart (James Marzec), an international legal superstar who surrounds himself with terrifyingly efficient young women deeply imbued with his wolf pack mentality. Matters are further complicated as Solicitt discovers that his Friday night shag buddy is the youngest judge ever appointed to the Supreme Court, Caitlin Ambrose (Laura Thomas), and Steele reveals his lustful longings to Vanessa. The second act uses court scenes to move to the expected tidy resolution to all these dilemmas and more, and dispenses justice, albeit more in a poetic than legal fashion.
A well-chosen cast brought the densely written script to life, with plenty of legal in-jokes and references to daily minutiae of Perth’s legal life, but also enough gags about lawyers and their obsessions with billable hours and fine woollen suits to reach a broader audience. Palm was refreshingly gawky as a foil to Barron’s determined competence, and both displayed strong singing voices. Robb had one of the trickier solos, but pulled through with technique that not only won sympathy for her character but also swung the mood for the whole production. Marzec and his harem of single-minded vixens were high-camp Teutonic villains, great as a group, and Marzec’s solo sung presentation to the Court of Vanessa’s guilt was simply stunning. Thomas was brilliantly cast as the Supreme Court Judge, with perfect comic timing on physical routines as well as sharp delivery of lines. However the pair of clerks brought more than comic relief and gags about the bottom end of the legal career ladder, with Melvin and Dunn playing each other to bring deeper characterisation than expected.
John McPherson’s original score enhanced the dramatic script, with musical numbers holding their own in developing the storyline with clever lyrics and strong interactions between the featured characters. Technical issues plagued the larger song and dance routines, with Thomas’ microphone often dropping out and sound levels drowning the words at points when the live musicians became a little more forceful.
The minor characters and chorus sometimes seemed to crowd the stage, but the numbers were necessary to complete some of the legal team dance-offs, which were hilariously cheesy but done with high technical proficiency. All of the choreography was tightly worked, essential given the spatial limitations, but Dunn had rehearsed the cast so tightly that it was difficult to pick which performers had a dancing rather than a dramatic background. Either way, the seeming superfluity of bodies on stage bodes well for the depth of theatrical talent available for future local independent theatrical productions.
The set design made the most of the limited space, with props kept to a minimum and very clever use made of rotating columns that became bookshelves or liquor displays. Simple changes between acts also highlighted the narrative change of focus, and lighting was consistently complementary to events on stage.
The main issue that detracted from the show was timekeeping. Song and dance cues were taken up smartly, but a small amount of drag between scenes, overlong pauses to milk laughs at punchlines, and a poorly enforced intermission led to the show running nearly an hour over time.
Overall, Lawyers and Other Communicable Diseases presented brilliant physical comedy to accompany topical gags and highly competent song and dance skills – Showroom Theatre have set themselves a high standard for future work.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Lawyers and Other Communicable Diseases
Presented by Showroom Theatre Inc
Writer/Director: James Marzec
Music: John McPherson
Choreography: Jessica Dunn
Set Designer/Scenic Artist: Reece Scott
Lighting: Josh Veitch
Cast: James Palm, Kristian Barron, Emily Robb, Laura Thomas, James Marzec, Elijah Melvin, Jessica Dunn, Natasha Kayser, Kathryn Grocke, Connie Dorian-Wu, Rachael Chamberlain, Nina Heymanson, David Gregory
Chorus: Dale Barnard, Nina Battalis, Grace Cooper, Kieran Hannigan, Daniel Kirkby, Nick Mayer, Iain McIntyre, Katie Sharman, Samya Tesmelis, Madeline Quy
Band: John McPherson, Chris Ingram, Vlad Sturdy, Gabe Mach, Paul Marion, Emma Mondy, Belinda Flindell, Andrea Van Graan
Subiaco Arts Centre, Subiaco
25 – 29 September
