The live mock courtroom sensation 'This Is Your Trial' heads to Melbourne after wildly successful runs in Perth and Adelaide.
Never the same show twice, the audience is asked to accuse the people they’ve come with of crimes, and these are trialed in front of a jury of audience spectators.
Here, the 'This Is Your Trial' team list five of the best trial stories from the Perth and Adelaide runs – this is only a selection of the hundreds of hilarious comedy courtroom trials that have been played out by top British stand-ups as part of 'This is Your Trial'.
Judge, prosecutor and defence lawyers will hear testimony, cross-examine witnesses, and improvise their arguments.
What petty grievances will you raise to seek justice when the show comes to Melbourne International Comedy Festival? If you were the jury, how would you have decided these cases?
One
“I want an injunction – I’m buying too many chicken wings”. A member of the audience was availing himself too often of the $1 wing offer at KFC, and wanted to stop. The court granted an emergency injunction preventing the individual from buying wings, ordering them to make their own instead. Judge Horn provided a recipe in his summary judgement. His secret? Baking powder and an air fryer! Finger licking justice is served!Two
“My mother killed my plants!”. In this case, a daughter put her mother on trial for the most serious of all crimes – murder. The mother’s defence? It’s her house, and she can do what she likes. The jury decided that the daughter was old enough to leave home if she wanted, so maybe if she didn’t want her plants to be overwatered she should do so in her own home!
Three
“My husband says he can speak French, but he can’t”. We tried the husband for fraud entirely in French. The comedians did their very best to poser des questions et comprendre les réponses, ultimately deciding that the defendant was COUPABLE! for lying about speaking French fluently, after not even being able to finish the sentence “je m’appelle. . .”Four
“My friend posts too many thirst traps!”. This case hung on the definition of thirst traps. Is it really a thirst trap if the defendant was so handsome and good looking that it was ultimately an act of public service? This case was easily resolved by the defendant offering to treat the jury to a flash of their six pack as a demonstration of their unwavering dedication to public service!Five
“My wife’s Zumba class is too difficult for a Saturday morning”. We tried this individual for criminal nuisance. Is it necessary to shake your hips, wave your arms, and feel great before 9am on a Saturday morning while everyone else is sleeping? The jury by a narrow margin thought that the class wasn’t actually difficult enough! How? They ordered the instructor to show them a sample of the class live during the show!'This Is Your Trial' plays Belgian Beer Cafe (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) Fridays through Sundays 31 March-23 April.
