Going undercover for laughs
LAWYER Tony Laumberg, the writer of the new play Undercover Lawyer, says his style of comedy owes a lot to his Jewish upbringing.
LAWYER Tony Laumberg, the writer of the new play Undercover Lawyer, says his style of comedy owes a lot to his Jewish upbringing.
“Growing up, I was exposed to a Jewish style of humour which I think comes across in all my work,” he says.
“A lot of people think I have a very New York Jewish style of humour, so it’s had a big influence on the way I express myself.”
Laumberg, a former stand-up comedian who works as a lawyer by day, says writing is a passion as well as being a “great creative outlet”.
Undercover Lawyer is Laumberg’s 10th play and reunites him with director Richard Cotter, who also makes a cameo in the production.
“We’ve always had such a ball interacting for each play that it’s just a joy to work together — we can discuss anything and no one takes a particular position which is etched in stone. We’re both open-minded and we just collaborate together really well.”
Undercover Lawyer opens at the Tap Gallery in Darlinghurst on August 6 for a three-week season.
The play features a fictional character, a pompous lawyer named Henry Crowley. “I love the character because he’s based on a couple of lawyers from my past,” says Laumberg.
“Henry is very opinionated and stuck in his ways, and it’s just wonderful fodder for me as a writer.”
In the play, Crowley is convinced by an ASIO agent, Pamela Goodbody, to spy on his neighbour, not knowing that ASIO not only suspects Goodbody of being a double agent but has even enlisted his own wife to spy on him.
Crowley goes deep undercover to unearth evidence that his neighbour is a foreign spy, but he doesn’t take long to find himself way over his head in trouble.
Laumberg says that Undercover Lawyer’s plot was inspired by a real-life incident.
“Many years ago, I was conducting my own legal practice at home, and I got a knock on the front door from a woman who said to me, ‘Step away from the door, sir’.
“So she came inside and said, ‘I’m with the Federal Police and we want to observe your neighbour across the street because we suspect that he’s a drug dealer’.”
Laumberg believes that audiences will be entertained by the show.
“It’s just like seeing a good comedy feature film. It’s a real joy to me to be able to make more and more people laugh and forget their everyday woes.”
Undercover Lawyer is being performed at the Tap Gallery, 278 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst, from August 6-29. Bookings: 1300 306 776; www.mca-tix.com.au.
GARETH NARUNSKY
comments