The improv concept of
Audience members are appointed as stenographer and pictographer, who must tweet and draw the events as they proceed.
On the night I saw it, comedians John Hastings and Keith Farnan acted as prosecutor and defence respectively and both did a competent job of using the format to make witty and interesting jokes. Hastings in particular shone in his morally indignant rants as prosecutor accusing peoples of crimes, from pretending to be a boy to trying wearing a Scottish hat when they were American.
The show also carries with it some other vestigial elements that attempt to up the comedic stakes: audience members are appointed as stenographer and pictographer, who must tweet and draw the events as they proceed. These did admittedly produce funny moments. Overall the show is enjoyable, but that's almost the problem: it’s just enjoyable. This Is Your Trial is very typical Fringe late-night fare: you’ll have a few drinks before, laugh at the time, but the show probably won’t leave much of an impression.
The concept, while interesting, isn’t ground-breaking and can at times feel like a single game from an improvisation troupe that’s been stretched out for 50 minutes. This isn’t to say that the show is bad or that I didn’t enjoy myself. It’s just that it’s very pedestrian and safe; there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done before or isn't being done elsewhere at the festival. As it is This Is Your Trial is a show to see should you have a night free and want some easy laughs, but it probably wouldn’t warrant repeat viewings.
