Bondi Legal

Lightweight and fun, Bondi Theatre Company’s Bondi Legal is based on the true-life case playwright Toby Laumberg encountered early in his legal career. Directed by Richard Cotter, it’s much of a David vs Goliath situation, in which the plaintiff, Frances (Jadie Bastow) and her bumbling lawyer, Brad Pitt (Michael Arvithist), attempt to find justice against a chemical corporation’s product that allegedly caused her daughter’s prize pony to lose all its hair. 

When her the regular solicitor Frank (Valentino Arico) goes on holiday, the overwrought locum Brad Pitt (no relation!) arrives, or rather stumbles, into Frank’s Bondi law office. Pitt is strictly a conveyancer, with a phobia of appearing in court. He has less than two hours to prepare, but Frank wants nothing else than to get out of town, and does. Whilst Pitt splutters and bumbles, Frances insists that the universe will provide, though also senses there is a disturbance in the alignment of the stars. 

What follows is an amusing demonstration of the pratfalls and pitfalls of the legal system. Faced with the superiority of the corporation’s legal counsel, Simon Crookwell (David Evan Samuels), the majesty of the Magistrate (Tricia Youlden) and the scathing indifference of the holidaying solicitor, the hapless Pitt has a meltdown. Believing himself to be a gorilla, his unconventional methods, bolstered by his client’s New Age hocus-pocus, provide a lively foray into courtroom proceedings. Including one piece of evidence, a photo of the pony’s hairless posterior, that was submitted as evidence in the actual trial. Neigh!

Until Oct 26. Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach. $20-$35+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.bonditheatrecompany.com.au

By Olga Azar